Demonetization Impact: Bihar’s drug shops may run out of medicine
Patna,(BiharTimes): Even as there was panic and chaos in the market all over Bihar––as elsewhere in the country––the wholesale medicine market at Govind Mitra Road in Patna, which is the largest in the state, witnessed an 80 per cent fall in business just a day after demonetization of currency notes of Rs 500 and 1,000.
Not only that, the Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association fears scarcity of medicine in retail markets soon as the wholesale purchase of drugs slumped by 80 per cent on Wednesday.
According to the president of Association P K Singh, retailers purchase medicine from wholesalers in cash. The Association does not expect the purchase to pick up on Thursday because ample new notes would not be in circulation. If the situation continues even for a couple of days, retail shops would run out of their stocks.
Sources said the turnover of drug in this wholesale market is something between Rs 50 crore and Rs 75 crore daily.
Singh said that the medicine shops should have been exempted like petrol pumps and government hospitals. Poor patients, according to him, are the worst hit.
Even private clinics, nursing homes, pathological labs and diagnostic centres refused to accept Rs 500 and 1,000 notes.
All these places wore deserted looks and the patients, especially those in critical condition, were badly affected.
The government might have taken this step to fight black money yet there was widespread criticism of the way the whole step has taken place.
“This is the most inept way of handling such a serious situation,” said a prominent doctor on condition of anonymity, while talking to BiharTimes.
Patna,(BiharTimes): Even as there was panic and chaos in the market all over Bihar––as elsewhere in the country––the wholesale medicine market at Govind Mitra Road in Patna, which is the largest in the state, witnessed an 80 per cent fall in business just a day after demonetization of currency notes of Rs 500 and 1,000.