Staff Reporter :
Retailers, super shops and pharmacies in Dhaka city are struggling to keep up with the demand for hand sanitiser and surgical masks as panic buying sets in amid coronavirus fears.
Sales of these anti-bacterial products have increased tremendously in the city and across the country after health specialists emphasized on the importance of keeping hands germ-free, either through the use of soaps or hand sanitisers.
Besides, traders exploit the current situation jacking up prices of the cleanliness products like hand sanitizer, liquid hand wash, disinfectant wipes, and masks.
Visiting several pharmacies and retail shops in the city on Tuesday, it was found that their shelves already turned empty as a result of panic buying.
Pharmacy owners said people resorted to buying more than they needed as this was adding to the pressure on their stocks.
“Stock of hand sanitisers, surgical masks and other hygiene products fly off shelves amid panic buying,” Foysal Ahmed, who runs a pharmacy at city’s Mugda area, told The New Nation on Tuesday.
He said his pharmacy ran out of masks and other hygiene products after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Bangladesh. “I am unable to replenish my stock as the suppliers reported a stock-out of masks and hand sanitiser,” he added.
“We are working hard to meet the surge in demand and are putting in place additional measures to ensure that shelves are restocked as quickly as possible,” Md Rasel Al-Mamun, floor in-charge at Sopno Super Shop, Tikatuli outlet in Dhaka, told The New Nation yesterday.
He said his outlet seen a significant increase in sales of hygiene products following coronavirus outbreak.
“We had a stock of only four hand sanitisers for the last six months, but finally they were sold on Sunday when the first cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh confirmed. Now, we are getting 30 hand sanitisers a day from the supplier and it takes only few minutes to vanish,” he added.
Milia Alam, a housewife who managed to get the last three bottles of hand sanitiser at one of the pharmacies, said she could not help but be extra vigilant as report of three coronavirus cases in Bangladesh has worried her.
“I’m just stocking up because I’m very concerned about this coronavirus, and it’s for my family,” she added.
Besides, the Drug Administration has called on pharmacy owners and retailers to “behave responsibly” and not increase prices during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We kept an eye on reports of increasing prices of anti-bacterial products following detection of coronavirus cases in the country, and want to ensure that traders “do not exploit the current situation” to take advantage of people,” a senior Drug Administration official told The New Nation yesterday preferring anonymity.
“We are looking out for evidence that traders are charging excessive prices,” he added.
The official also said that The Drug Administration will take ‘enforcement actions’ against the rogue pharmacy owners, who found to be charging inflated prices for cleanliness products.
He also urged people not to go panic buying of hand sanitiser and hand wash and advised customers to use soaps for hand washing. “Clean off hands by soaps for a full 20 second can also prevent virus infection.”
Meanwhile, several government agencies yesterday launched mobile court drive at various pharmacies in the city and its adjoining districts amid sudden rise in the prices of anti-bacterial products and their supply crunch.
During the drives, they fined at least 27 stores in Dhaka, Savar, Narayanganj, Manikganj and Noakhali for exploiting the consumers taking advance of coronavirus panic.
Mobile courts under Dhaka north and south city corporations conducted drives in different parts of Dhaka and fined 16 shops, including pharmacies, Tk 1.71 lakh for selling surgical masks and hand sanitisers at high prices.
Two Executive Magistrates of Dhaka South City Corporation inspected 1,000 shops in Mitford Road, Nayabazar, Babubazar, Chawkbazar and New Market, and fined owners of 13 establishments Tk 1.46 lakh for selling surgical masks at exorbitant rates.
Another court of Dhaka North City Corporation conducted drives in Gulshan, Banani and Mohakhali areas and fined three pharmacies Tk 25,000 for the same offence, said Executive Magistrate Selina Parvin, who led the drives.
Mobile courts of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided in six pharmacies that are overcharging surgical masks and hand sanitizers for customers in the midst of coronavirus fear.
Sarowar Alam, Executive Magistrate of RAB, conducted the raid at Sir Salimullah Medical College hospital area starting at 12:30pm on Tuesday.
After conducting the raid, Sarowar said: “Tk 8 lakh has been fined from 6 different pharmacies as they were selling surgical masks and hand sanitizers at a high price.”
“The wholesale price for one mask is between Tk 10 and Tk 15, but they were selling each mask between Tk 60 and Tk 100,” said Sawar.
RAB-2 also conducted another drive at College Gate area in Shyamoli.
RAB-2 Company Commander Mohiuddin Faruque said, “We are basically checking whether they (pharmacies) are selling hand sanitizers and face masks at a fare price or stocking them unethically, and refusing to sell the items to the customers.”
They have fined one pharmacy, Naz Pharma, Tk50,000.
“Besides, we also cordoned eight to 10 pharmacies for stocking face masks and hand sanitizers,” he said.
Meanwhile in Savar, a mobile court fined a branch of Lazz Pharma Ltd Tk 1,00,000 for selling masks at higher prices.
“The pharmacy was selling masks at Tk 40, instead of the set price of Tk 5. We also found some foreign products in the pharmacy but they could not show any import documents,” said Executive Magistrate Abdullah Al Mahfuz, who led the drive.
The mobile court also detained two employees of the pharmacy. They were released after paying the fine.
In Narayanganj, a mobile court sentenced Bishwajit Das, an employee of Nurul Medical Corner, to one-year jail for selling surgical masks at Tk 50 per piece instead of Tk five, said Executive Magistrate Mehedi Hasan Faruk.
Three executive magistrates of Narayanganj district, along with the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), jointly conducted drives in different pharmacies at Kali Bazar area of the town.
The court also fined eight other pharmacies Tk 1.5 lakh in the same area for storing medicines illegally.
Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection conducted a drive in Manikganj town and fined a clothing shop Tk 5,000 for the same reason.
Assistant Director of DNCRP Asaduzzaman Rumel fined one Sujon General Store in the district for selling expired medicines and cosmetics.
In Noakhali, two medicine shops were fined Tk 80,000 for selling masks at higher prices at Choumuhuni Bazar under Begumganj upazila in Noakhali on Tuesday.
The shops are Islamia Pharmacy and Fair Pharmacy. The district executive magistrate Md Roknuzzaman fined the shops through operating a mobile court.
