Advocate writes to CJI to look into matter of black marketing of oxygen & live saving drugs amid pandemic

Read Time: 04 minutes

The present strain of the COVID-19 virus has given an opportunity to the commercialists to reap profit out of common public’s misery. In this light an Advocate has written a letter to the Chief Justice to look into the trend of Black Marketing of Oxygen, Remdesivir Injection, Tocilizumab, Fabiflue and other life-saving drugs.

Advocate(s) Satyam Singh, Amit Kumar Sharma along with Abhijeet Kumar Bhatt and a Second year law Student, Ayush Kumar Upadhyay have collectively written to the Hon’ble Chief Justice, NV Ramana to take note of the prevailing situations of black-marketing, citing basic principles of Right To Health and Affordable Access to Medical Facilities.

Reliance has been placed on news reports from Delhi and Noida, where individuals were arrested for black marketing of Remdisivir Injections.

The letter suggests to have a team of Nodal Officers to look into the issue of Black marketing.

Attention has also been drawn to the hoarding of essential medicines and oxygen supplies so as to benefit when the market demand rises.

“In our country we are recording 4000+ cases per day and mostly of them are lacking because of Oxygen and their family members are wandering for oxygen and Oxygen and Remdesivir injection tocilizumab and some other life-saving Medicines/injection and they are not getting it, so in forcedness they are buying in black and paying much more than the maximum retail price”, the letter states.

Imputations are also levied on a few hospitals who are engaging in such black marketing.

“That every life is very precious. Right to health or healthcare is a fundamental right of every citizen of India given by the Indian Constitution under Article 21.

That RIGHT TO HEALTH is a Human Right enshrined in International Human Right Law”, the letter further adds.

An appeal has been made to the Top Court to take cognizance of the aforementioned issues and take appropriate steps to, “help the common man to get rid of this situation, which is causing deficiency of Oxygen, Remdesivir injection, tocilizumab and some other life-saving Medicines / injection due to the black marketing.”