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Huge difference in wholesale and retail prices of medicines

BERHAMPUR: Wide difference between wholesale price and retail price of essential drugs and medical equipment continues to remain without any government intervention.

Thanks to lack of intervention of the government, poor patients and their relatives are being squeezed of their hard earned income during ailments and hospitalization. At times the quoted retail price of commonly used medical equipment is six to seven times that of the wholesale price.

A rural medical store owner of Ganjam district, Bata Krushna Das is trying to fight this so-called racket of exploitation for the last 15 years at different levels. He has not succeeded getting any positive response despite approaching the Court of Law. He owns medical shops at Khajuripada, Ramgiri and Podamari.

Speaking to newsmen in the city to reveal this pricing racket, Mr Das alleged that the government and administration are silent about this practice of exploiting patients. According to him the catheter with injection needle has printed maximum retail price (MRP) quoted at around Rs. 75. But its wholesale price is mere Rs. 10.50. He showed high-selling tetanus toxide packets having 50 ampules, which have Rs. 300 as MRP printed on the pack. A retailer gets this pack from wholesaler paying Rs. 52.50, he alleged.

Mr Das revealed that the infusion kit which a hospitalized patient buys for Rs. 65 is priced Rs. 8.50 in wholesale market. The intravenous saline drips priced around Rs. 67.50 for retail market is worth Rs. 21.50 in wholesale market. He was too critical of the protein and vitalising powders, which according to him may cost around Rs. 26 per pack in wholesale market, but would have printed MRP of more than Rs. 120 for retail sell. The NFlox-TZ tablets which are used to treat diarrhoea are worth Rs. 17 per strip of 10 tablets in wholesale market, while their retail price is Rs. 60 per strip. Mr Das also criticized the retailers for using MRP as the ‘fixed price’ and not providing any scope to customers to bargain over MRP.

According to him in a way the whole system is continuing to exploit common patients through this unbelievable allegedly unscrupulous pricing system of medicines. He demanded the government intervention so that the difference between wholesale price and retail price of medicines and medical equipment could be reduced for the benefit of common mass.

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