Hoarders and profiteers.

EVER since the coronavirus pandemic began to adversely affect the people's lives, we have seen all sorts of vendors making illegal and obscene amount of profits on the very basic necessities of life like wheat and sugar. Owing to the dangers posed by the Covid-19 outbreak, the medicines and life-saving drugs needed to treat patients have fallen into the clutches of hoarders and profiteers.

No sooner do the medical authorities announce that a particular drug is showing promise of being effective in treating critical Covid-19 patients that it disappears from the market and its price shoots up.

The price of Actemra injections being sold for Rs 60,000 before the announcement that it was helping to stabilise the condition of Covid-19 patients shot up by more than 300 per cent! One patient's family said they had bought the medicine for Rs250,000 per injection.

Oximeters...