Unreasonable price hike of medicine unacceptable: Consumers' association
The Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has strongly protested against the Directorate General of Drug Administration's (DGDA) decision to hike the price of medicines terming it "unreasonable and unacceptable".
"The drug administration has proposed to increase the price of even saline and diabetic medicines at a time when people are struggling to cope with inflation. This is simply not acceptable," CAB Dhaka committee President Brigadier General (retd) M Shams A Khan said at a human chain demonstration in the capital's Uttara Tuesday.
"The authorities are proceeding for approval ignoring objections from CAB," he added.
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Shams A Khan claimed that the drug administration secured the approval from the ministry by concealing CAB's objection.
Advocate Akbar Hossain, general secretary of CAB Dhaka District Committee, central committee members Mir Rezaul Karim, Shahina Sultana Popi, Asma Haque, Abul Kalam Azad and were present in the human chain.
Speakers in the human chain demanded immediately scrap the approval for price hike.
On 20 July, the government issued a notification fixing the maximum retail price of 53 medicines including paracetamol, metronidazole, amoxicillin, diazepam, phenobarbital, aspirin and phenoxymethyl penicillin.
Paracetamol syrup price has increased the most. In the last three-four months, the price of paracetamol syrup has increased by 75%, while for tablets the price increased by 20 to 33%.
