Safety masks: Crackdown on medical shops fleecing people

Hyderabad: The Telangana Health Department has decided to crack a whip on pharmacy shops and dealers, who are reportedly fleecing people in the city charging exorbitant rates while selling safety masks.

Health Minister Eatala Rajender stated that he will give instructions to conduct raids in view of such complaints and those found to violate would be strongly dealt with, including filing criminal charges against them.

It may be mentioned here that there has been a mad rush to buy safety masks (normal ones to cloth made ones and N-95), most of which were sold at three to five times of their usual price in medical shops in the twin-cities. Also, in various places no stock replies were given to customers.

When told about this fleecing, the Health Minister criticized the pharmacists for exploiting the people when the need of the hour is to support the government and society. They should act with moral responsibility at this juncture, he said.