Ask retailers to display stock, rates of COVID medicines, LG tells Delhi govt

With the national capital battling the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday instructed the Delhi government authorities to ensure that drugs related to COVID treatment are made available to people to check hoarding, overcharging or black marketing of such medicines, dealers should display required stocks of such drugs.

"Hoarding, overcharging or black marketing of such medicines does not take place, by prominently displaying stocks and rates of such drugs by dealers/retailers or sellers for information of people at large," he said.

In a statement issued today, the Delhi LG has further instructed that a similar order with regards to equipments and machines like Oximeters, Oxygen Cylinders/Concentrators etc, related to COVID be issued at the earliest.

Accordingly, the Delhi government has today issued an order under the aegis of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) which will be strictly enforced by the Drug Controller, DMs and DCPs who will ensure its strict compliance in letter and spirit.

It has been noticed that the COVID-19 patients are facing difficulties in procuring essential COVID-19 management drugs in time and at the prescribed rates which in turn is causing hindrance in their timely and effective treatment in NCT of Delhi, said the order.

It stated that in order to facilitate the timely procurement of essential COVID-19 management drugs at prescribed rates, it is necessary to disseminate proper and reliable information in respect of availability and pricing of these drugs to general public in NCT of Delhi.

Keeping in view the aforesaid facts, it has been decided that all the authorized dealers/retailers/sellers of these drugs in NCT of Delhi should display the information relating to Stock Position and MRP of these drugs at their premises for information of the general public, stated the order.

The order directed that all authorised dealers/retailers/sellers of essential COVID-19 management drugs in the NCT of Delhi shall display the information of Stock Position and MRP of all these drugs at conspicuous places at their business premises for information of general public.

It also directed that the stock position of these drugs shall be updated by the authorised dealers/retailers/sellers four times in a day i.e. at 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm respectively.

The order further directed the Drugs Controller, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to ensure strict compliance of the aforesaid directions by all authorised dealers/retailers/sellers of essential COVID-19 management drugs in the NCT of Delhi.

It also directed all the District Magistrates of Delhi and their counterpart District Deputy Commissioners of Police and all authorities concerned to ensure strict compliance of this order and take strict penal action under relevant laws against those persons who are found violating the directions issued in this order.

"In case any person is found violating the aforesaid directions, the defaulting person(s) Act, 2005, Section 188 of IPC, the Epidemic Act 1897, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules shall be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management 1945 and other applicable laws," read the order.

( With inputs from ANI )