THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shopkeepers are not impressed even after the government increased the cap on face mask prices and they say quality items are in short supply even for these rates. While masks of various prices are still available in shops, the items that meet the safety standards have been found to be out of stock. The availability of triple-layer surgical mask has been the worst affected when the demand for it is expected to the increase with the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
According to shop owners, the supply of quality masks has been hit badly after the government capped the prices. “It is difficult to get good quality triple-layer masks at the price fixed by the government. It will not be viable for us to sell it for Rs 5 a piece,” said Ernakulam district president of All Kerala Chemists and Drugs Association (AKCDA) P V Tomy.
The prices of various items required for Covid protection such as masks, gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE), oximeter etc were fixed on May 14. But these had to be revised within 15 days as the government supplier, Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited, itself could not procure them.
Even after the prices were raised by 20 per cent, the manufacturers and shopkeepers were not happy about the uniform change.
According to Tomy, the retailers have decided to stop selling the items because of the arbitrary penalty imposed by the legal metrology and civil supplies departments. “The decision was taken after a lot of shops selling quality masks were fined. If we focus only on price, the mask can be sold at Rs 2 to Rs 4 a piece. But a good-quality surgical mask costs around Rs 4.50 to make,” he said.
“There is a shortage of good-quality masks at the stipulated price. Some medical shops are returning the stocks these days. The general public has no idea about the quality of masks which are available. The N95 mask used by healthcare workers costs between Rs 150 and Rs 200 and its inferior version is available at Rs 15,” said general secretary of Campaign Against Pseudo Science Using Law and Ethics (CAPSULE) M P Anilkumar.
Though the state government specifies standards for triple-layer medical mask as per the Bureau of Indian Standards IS 16289:2014, N95 medical masks as per IS 9473:2002 and PPE kits with coverall as per IS 17423:2020, the quality aspects have rarely been considered. “There is a high demand for the masks and gloves that meet the WHO standards outside the state. We have started increasing our sales outside because the rates here are not sustainable here,” said a mask manufacturer.
RATE FIXED BY GOVT FOR OXIMETERS HIGHER THAN MARKET PRICE
T’Puram: The price fixed by the state government for the fingertip pulse oximeter is much higher than the market price. Even when branded manufacturers have started selling the machines at C1,200, the government has revised the price from C1,500 to C1,800.
“Pulse oximeters that meet the specifications are sold at C1,000-C1,200 a piece, and the shopkeepers are comfortable with the margin also. The price cap should have been fixed after consultation with trade experts,” said district president of All-Kerala Chemists and Drugs Association in Ernakulam, P V Tomy. He said some sellers may use the higher price cap to fleece the public. The government intervened to regulate the price when the demand for equipment was at its peak early in May. Sellers, however, say the demand has since tapered off.
Though prices were raised, shopkeepers are unhappy about uniform change
Supply of quality masks has been hit badly after the government capped the prices, say shop owners