Food and Drug officials raid 30 medical outlets in Capital
   Date :16-Mar-2020

Food and Drug _1 &nb
 Food and Drugs Administration officials while conducting raids at wholesales and retail medical outlets, inspecting sale and purchase records as well as quantity and quality of masks and sanitisers.
 
 
Staff Reporter :
 
RAIPUR,
 
In a massive action taken with an intention to check black-marketing, the officials of Food and Drugs Administration carried out raids at various wholesale and retail medical outlets in the capital. These raids were conducted on getting complaints from media and general public that masks and hand sanitisers were being sold on higher rates (over MRP). On the directive of Health Minister T S Singhdeo and guidance of Controller Food and Drugs Administration, a team of departmental officials and inspectors carried out raids in 30 installations in the capital which included 20 retail medical outlets and ten wholesale medical outlets as well as few general stores in Gole Bazaar area.
 
These raids were conducted with an intention to check black-marketing of masks and sanitisers. Since the raids were conducted after getting complaints that masks and sanitisers were being sold at high rates, the Food and Drug Administration department officials checked sale transactions in both digital and in registers and also checked purchase bills. On the basis of complaint regarding sale of these product on high rates, two medical shops including Lahri Medical Store Raipura and Shri Lakshmi Medical Store Sundarnagar were closed down.
 
Also Pharmaceutical Dealers and Retailers Association President and General Secretary have been directed not to sell fancy masks from medical stores. It is worth mentioning here that keeping in view the increasing threat of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, the central government had enforced Essential Commodities Act (ECA) on masks and sanitisers being used as prevention and control of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Accordingly, the production, quality, distribution and logistics for masks including 2-ply mask, 3-ply surgical mask, N95 mask and hand sanitisers have been brought into the purview of Essential Commodities Act, for prevention and control of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
 
The notification which was published in the national gazette on March 13, 2020, further stated that this order will be called as “Essential Commodities Order, 2020” and will come into affect from the date of gazette publication. This notification will be valid w.e.f. March 13, 2020 till June 30, 2020. With the imposition of Essential Commodities Act on ‘Mask (2-ply mask, 3-ply surgical mask and N95 mask) and hand sanitisers’, no retailer can sell these above mentioned products at a price over Maximum Retail Price (MRP). Keeping in view the tendency of black-marketing and post enforcement of Essential Commodities Act of these products, Collector Raipur Dr S Bharatidasan has issued necessary directives to stop black-marketing. In this direction SDM Raipur had constituted six teams of Food and Drug Administration department officials and raids were carried out at 30 outlets in the capital.
 
The district administration has also circulated Helpline Number 9340597097, through which people can inform and register complaints about black-marketing of such products. To check black marketing of masks and sanitisers raids were conducted by the Food and Drug Administration department include MM Surgical, A K Dental, Lakshmi Surgical, Daulat Surgical, Rose Enterprises and Tulja Surgical and Diagnostics in Rajbandha Maidan; Krishna Medical and Lakshmi Medical Store in Devendranagar; Daulat Surgical Pandri, BGR Traders and Siddhi Belt in Golebazaar; Lakshmi Medical and General Stores, Lakshmi Medical Hall and Prakash Medical Store in Sundarnagar; Shri Medical Store, Jai Bhole Medical Store, Harsh Medical Store, Satyasai Medical Store and Shreya Medical Store in Santoshinagar; Lahri Medical Store, Sumit Medical Store and Govind Medical Store in Pachpedinaka; Suman Medicoz and Suman Medical Store in Sanjay Nagar; Tulsi Medical Store Danganiya; Om Medicoz Raipura; RS Medicoz Boriakhurd; and Shri Mahavir Medical Store Kotwali Chowk.
 
No positive case of COVID-19 in State With 66 samples collected from all over Chhattisgarh so far none of them have been found to be positive stressed Dr Dharmendra Gahawai, Health Officer Nodal officer for Corona Virus. While talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Dr Gahawai informed that till date 66 samples were collected throughout state and were sent of examination at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) but non of them are were positive. State Government has made all necessary arrangements for control of Coronavirus in state. He informed that for quarantine there have been 196 isolation beds developed in entire Chhattisgarh state. Out of which 50 isolation beds are available in Mana hospital.
 
So there is no need to panic and case any patient is detected to be positive proper case will be taken at all level. As per medical bulletin issued by health department nine samples were received from Durg, 45 from Raipur, three from Kondagaon, two from Raigarh, four from Sarguja, two from Surajpur, two from Janjgir, three from Bilaspur, one from Dantewada, two from Baloda Bazaar, two from Rajnandgaon, one from Sukma and three from Jagdalpur total of 79 samples were received out of which thirteen were found not eligible. 53 patients were kept under home isolation and twenty six suspected patients completed 28 days of observation and were found negative.
 
Health Minister TS Singhdeo took a review meeting on Sunday to access the progress made by health department and gave necessary directives. On Monday, March 16 Health and Family Welfare Department is going to conduct a mock drill to see the preparation made by the department for control of Coronavirus outbreak. Deputy Director of AIIMS, Neeresh Sharma informed that 3000 masks of N95 have been supplied by Government of India and they have 6 isolated beds for the patients.
 
In case of emergency they can extend such beds upto 30 beds. All necessary arrangements have been made by the department, he added. Dr Bhuvanesh Yadav, Director of Dau Kalyan Singh Super Speciality hospital informed that no far no suspected patient is found in hospital and he advised public not to panic and take necessary precautions in public place and maintain social distance.