Profiteering from the Pandemic

 

Why write this when everybody is aware of it? I want to publicly hang my head with shame for belonging to a society with such low morality. My words may seem harsh and unacceptable, but I can’t shy away from this dreadful truth.

The Coronavirus made life difficult for the world in the last 18 months. Everyone was suffering physically, mentally, psychologically, and economically, to cite a few areas. The Curse of the Corona has left most of us shattered. Unfortunately, instead of helping our suffering countrymen, many are profiting from the epidemic at their expense.

The distraught COVID patients and their attendants are running from pillar to post to get hospital beds. They pay considerable amounts to make-shift ambulances and auto-rickshaws with oxygen cylinders for their rendezvous to hunt a hospital bed. Desperate patients have no option but to shove out large sums demanded by these providers. There are also unconfirmed reports about touts charging phenomenal sums to arrange hospital beds for patients. Hospitals are not providing services commensurate to the tariff levied. The hotels roped in are no better and just providing accommodation and some poor quality food.

The above story is only about a small part of the loot. Pharmacies are raking in unbelievable profits. Everything has been made scarce (including non-COVID medication). The over-charging is ascribed to the failure of the supply chain. All drugs are available only on the black market. Remdesivir, Favipiravir, steroids, Tocilizumab, and now Amphotericin B are mirages. Even common medications like Doxycycline, Ivermectin, Azithromycin, and Vitamin C disappeared from the shelves. Pulse oximeters, oxygen cylinders, and oxygen concentrators are being sold at phenomenal rates. Donors and facilitators are fleecing desperate patient attendants to arrange convalescent plasma. Even in death, these unscrupulous elements are not sparing the tragedy struck families and charging exorbitant rates for hearse vans and even the timber for the cremation of the body. It is depressing to even talk about other measures to loot and the widespread extent of profiteering.

It is distressing that the national character of our countrymen has stooped so low that they want to fleece their fellow humans. Even animals come to help their fellows in need. How can people be so inhuman as to make a profit from tragedy? Making a profit from another’s tragedy reflects very poorly on the upbringing of these rogues. We clap and celebrate our frontline workers and soldiers to show our national pride. Where is that nationalism to support your fellow countrymen in this crisis? The nationalism displayed is obviously just a farce.

Unfortunately, this profiteering is being indirectly promoted by the administration and politicians. They never looked at allotting beds and transporting patients to hospitals/isolation centers but left the patients to fend for themselves, allowing unscrupulous elements to take advantage. They ignored the scarcity of drugs, and let hoarders flourish, and thereby promoted inflation of the retail prices. If any action was taken to streamline drug and oxygen supply, it was too late. Politicians are hoarding oxygen and drugs to get brownie points from their voters. One wonders how they had stocks of medicines when the pharmacies were without supply. The high and mighty are very conveniently keeping their eyes closed.

Some good samaritans have tried to mitigate the sufferings of the affected by supplying food, logistics, and support. Some NGOs have made positive efforts to set up helplines, support centers, and COVID care centers. However, the contributions of this minority can’t absolve the majority of the crime against humanity. Citizens need to wake up, be more responsible, and humane.

Written By: By Dr Mukul Kapoor, Director, Department of Anesthesia, Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, New Delhi.

Tags: #Covid19, #Covid19pandemic, #Covid19medication, #Dr MukulKapoor, #Blackmarketeering, #Covid19helplines, #Clicktyclick.Blogspot.com

Its catastrophe Covid 19: Hubris or political advantage, save the people

India is crying. It took 2.58 lakh deaths (official figures, just double the real numbers) and close to 4 lakh positive caseload, (official figures, double them up too) for Prime Minister Modi to speak up (that too in a meeting with the DMs) that he feels the pain of suffering covid 19 people and showing concern that the pandemic is spreading in rural area. (Newspapers reported on May 15, 2021). His studied silence after Bengal elections, because that’s when he shred off his West Bengal syndrome, since oxygen supply started running out along with beds and medicines in the country, has turned the nation into a literal graveyard.         

In yesteryears we were the Golden bird, not too long ago we were the Pharmacy of the World. Today India is on its knees, struggling to barely stand. People are dying by the hour, in hospitals, at homes, by the roadside, in ambulances, in villages and in towns and where not. As I write recovered cases number 1.97 cr, and a mere 10% population vaccinated with a single dose and 8% having taken double dose. The last 48 hours has seen 4,205 covid deaths in the country and 3.48 lakh fresh cases. The national capital New Delhi saw 13,287 cases and 300 death in 24 hrs. Other states are raking in bigger numbers every day. Crematoriums are full and over occupied. My country is facing a condition of catastrophic magnitude.

What has our nation come to. Thousands of dead bodies found floating in Ganga river in UP and Bihar and administration is unaware, if this is not indifference and complacency what is!  Vaccinations are donated to other countries before we could innoculate our last citizen, if this is not miscalculation, what is! Oxygen running out in hospitals, if this is not callousness and ill planning what is! Leaders warning people not to complain about lack of oxygen or face sedition charges, if this is not arrogance what is! Hospitals going to court to demand oxygen, if this is not helplessness what is! People asking for help on social media (facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp), if this is not desperation what is! International media deriding the Prime Minister and the government for no action, if this is not failure, what is! Central Vista construction work carrying on unabashedly in the national capital, if this is not luxury and insensitivity, what is! Compulsory licensing not being granted to pharma manufacturers when we are falling acutely short of vaccines, if this is not policy paralysis, what is! Going ahead with 8 phase elections in West Bengal in covid surge time, if this is not political selfishness and political advantage what is! Turning off lights and beating thalis, if this is not fooling people what is! Holding Kumbh with millions of devotees being allowed to congregate by invitation, if this is not enticed murder, what is! Remaining in denial, if this is not hubris, what is! I could go on and on.

In Meerut, UP, people carried their own cots to a hospital with leaking roofs and no fans and a stinky toilet for their covid patient who found some place on the floor of the corridors of the Emergency ward. The hospitals are understaffed, there are not enough doctors. Goa saw 47 deaths in a span of 4 days as the hospital ran out of oxygen in the middle of the night.

Similar harrowing stories of death and fatalities from states send chill down our spine. Bodies coming out in 10s, 20s, 50s, in UP hospitals are going unreported. Delhi has seen its worst crisis in its nightmarish search for oxygen cylinders that made people run from pillar to post helplessly wailing and shouting to save their near dear ones.  Gujarat department issued a lakh plus death certificates last month, as reported by a Gujarat newspaper.  Its appalling.  

135 teachers on Panchayat election duty died due to covid. Elections are over and petrol prices have again reached Rs 100. Around 300 journalists have died, doctors have died having contracted covid.  Whats happening!

Judiciary came as the last resort for state abandoned citizens. Supreme Court had to order Centre for Delhi govt saying, "Please do not drive us to a situation to take coercive steps." Karnataka, Allahabad, Madras and Kerala High courts had to order Centre to supply required oxygen to the states. Calling the EC a murderer showed the angst and desperation of the judiciary at the utter failure of the executive.

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. People ask where is the government? Are we living in a vacume? What about the much publicized Ayushman Bharat scheme that guarantees 5 lakh assistance to the poor if it does not come of any help for covid patients!

In a letter written by Indian Medical Association to the Health Ministry on May 8, 2021 it demanded Health Ministry to wake up from slumber and respond to mitigate the growing challenges in covid pandemic. ‘IMA is astonished to see the extreme lethargy and inappropriate actions from the ministry of health in combating the agonizing crisis born out of the devastating second wave of covid pandemic. The collective consciousness, proactive cognizance and requests made by IMA and other professionals learned colleagues are put into the dustbin and often without realizing the ground realities the decisions are taken.’

In these pandemic times when a Kumbh is a priority the intention does not need justification. A background information would be interesting. According to a detailed report by Caravan, Trivendra Singh Rawat the then Chief Minister of Uttrakhand was sent home for having given contradictory views on Kumbh timing to be replaced by Tirath Rawat who was more pliable to the whims of the Akharas and the RSS top brass. Kumbh being a major business opportunity for the government it catered to the religious card too. The result played out in hundreds and thousands succumbing to covid on their return to their villages and kasbas. A clear example of how vested narrow interests of a party takes over the countrymens priority.

Vaccines have run short with people queuing up in long unending lines all across the country. Vaccine diplomacy took over our domestic priority just for an image building exercise. One cannot find a single example like ours in the whole world. As per government’s own version 84% of the jabs were sent abroad as part of commercial, licensing liabilities of manufacturers.

States have been asked to fund for their vaccination programme. If the PM wants one Nation, one tax, and one nation one election, then why not one nation one vaccination. History is witness that major epidemics and vaccination programmes have been a national policy decision be it the Polio drive or the TB drive or Small Pox for the entire country.

With the people of the country already suffering from the lashes of demonetization and lockdown, with no jobs, no work, a Rs 20,000 beautification project in the name of ‘essential service’ is a Boondoggle and could have come to better use for oxygen and hospitals/primary health centres if exporting away medicines and other covid treatment things was not a wise deal.  

There cannot be a worst ‘manmade’ disaster than the covid 19 second wave. India is facing an apocalyptic rebound. With a figures of more than 5000 dead in a week, hovering around 500 per day, the government and its leaders sit stoic seeing the disaster unfold. People ask where are the Home minister and the Health Minister of the country!  

As the world keeps an eye on India, International press is mincing no word in documenting reality and accountability. Time magazine called Modi, the Super Spreader on its cover page which had earlier called him Divider In Chief. The Guardian, which on April 21 ran a piece headlined ‘‘The system has collapsed: India’s descent into Covid hell’. FP said, ‘Modi fiddled while India Burns’, and continued ‘What’s unfolding in India is a devastating carnage precipitated by its self-enamored leader,’. An article published in The Australian, later to be removed, read, ‘Modi leads India into a “viral apocalypse”.

Maybe times will improve as we fight the covid 19 collectively but the grief of their dying loved ones in dearth of and collapsing health infrastructure will linger long in their memory. In these times of crisis people are left helpless and are angry. 

Winston Churchill said, 'Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.'
 
 * Boondoggle… dictionary meaning, a wasteful and worthless project undertaken for political, corporate or personal gains, typically a government project funded by taxpayers.

Tags: #Covid 19 India, #Government of India, #Covid 19 catastrophe, #International Press, #Priti Prakash Blog, #Clickty Click Blog, #Narendra Modi, #Kumbh in Covid, #Central Vista in Covid