Hyderabad: Have you ever seen a swarm of vultures wreaking havoc in a fierce battle nibbling on corpses? While the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the nation, unscrupulous traders and middlemen indulging in rampant black marketing of essential medicines are a perfect comparison to the vultures.
Around four lakh Covid-19 cases are being reported in the country on average every day. One out of every four Covid-19 deaths worldwide is recorded here.
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that India has the highest number of deaths after the United States, Mexico and Brazil.
The Union Cabinet held a virtual meeting on what strategy the government should adopt at this stage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed that the supply of oxygen and the number of beds in hospitals should be increased and called upon the state governments to ensure that there is no shortage of emergency medicines anywhere.
However, the ground reality is that shortages of medicines in many states have affected the masses. Incidents of black marketing gangs taking advantage of the gap between the demand and supply for illicit monetary gains are being reported.
The national capital is no exception to this. The Delhi High Court, which was furious at the inaction of the Kejriwal government, said, "Some people are illegally storing drugs and oxygen... you are standing with your hands folded without taking any action! Lakhs of unfortunate people are wondering whether those who divert vital drugs and injections and use them for making easy and quick money are human beings at all!"
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Law students have recently submitted a joint representation to the Chief Justice of India that vital drugs and oxygen are being smuggled and stockpiled in many parts of the country and that they are being sold many times higher than the prescribed rates.
They urged him to take appropriate action against the illegal hoarders and middlemen. People are aghast at the illegal activities of drug gangs in hoarding the life-saving Remdesivir injection in Indore, Raipur, Jalandhar, Ghaziabad, Roorkee and Haridwar.
Incidents of selling fake Remdesivir injections as 'original' ones, by filling in water or other liquid in empty bottles keeping the labels intact, are coming to the fore.
In the two Telugu states, such illegal trade activities are rampant in Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Guntur and Hyderabad among others. How can anyone accept those indulging in such businesses as human beings?
The need of the patients is seen as a golden opportunity for squeezing money out of them. Tocilizumab injection, which has a maximum retail price of Rs 40,000, is now sold at Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in some places.
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It is a gala time for middlemen. Several private hospitals are disobeying government orders to charge Rs 4,000 per day for isolation, Rs 7,000 for ICU and Rs 9,000 for ventilator services.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA)'s call for generosity towards patients in the wake of the second phase flareup of COVID-19 is falling on deaf ears. Patients are being admitted to hospitals only on an initial payment of at least Rs 1 lakh even if he/she is covered by health insurance.
The Central government recently reported to the Supreme Court that the 12 states acutely suffering from COVID-19 have three times reserves of oxygen tanks than their oxygen needs. However, there is no convincing answer as to why there is a shortage in these states. As many as 57 oxygen cylinders were seized from two Hyderabad residents who were arbitrarily selling them in the black market. In short, the black market is thriving successfully unabated and uncontrolled, thanks to apathy and negligence.
There is no end to the plight of the unfortunate family members of Covid-19 patients who manage to pay hefty amounts by borrowing money or selling properties to fund medical expenses.
Field reports suggest that private hospitals in Bengaluru charge as much as Rs 25,000 to move a body to the crematorium and an equal amount to cremate.
A public interest litigation was filed in the Delhi High Court few days ago seeking action under the National Security Act of 1980 against those involved in illegal stockpiling and smuggling of Covid drugs. The situation certainly demands some punitive actions by the government against illegal traders and hoarders.
