HC expresses anguish over lack of important medicines, says responsibility of government to ensure availability

Ranchi: The High Court has expressed its displeasure over the issue of scarcity of important medicines in the state necessary in battle against Coronavirus including remdesivir, doxycycline and favipiravir.

The court of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice SN Prasad said that it is the responsibility of the state government to provide the necessary medicines to the people which is not happening in the state. The court expressed its deep anguish over reports of redmesivir injections being sold at Rs 30,000 and commented that the drugs controller and drug inspectors were not doing their work.

The Chief Justice verbally said that it appears that an artificial scarcity of medicines has been created in the state and at any cost black marketing will not be tolerated.

The court also rapped the drugs controller as she could not come up with satisfactory answers. The court said that the drugs controller has entire details of medicines but it appears the concerned person is not doing its work properly.

The court expressed its displeasure as the Health Secretary did not turn up over which the court was informed that since the Chief Minister had called a meeting he could not turn up over which the judges said that the Secretary is taking a light note of the order and this mentality needed to change.