By Laxman Kafle, Kathmandu, Mar. 5: Following acute shortage of medical masks and its artificial price hike in the local market, the Department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest has intensified market monitoring targeting medical and surgical shops.

The department has mobilised a joint market monitoring team inside the Kathmandu Valley to control the artificial price hike of masks and take action against the suppliers who have created an artificial shortage of masks in the market, said Netra Prasad Subedi, director general of the department.

Representatives from the department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest, the District Administration Office and the Department of Drugs Administration are in the joint team.

The department has been inspecting around 7-10 medical and surgical shops on a daily basis for the last few days after it received complaints about the artificial shortage and price hike of the kits, Subedi told The Rising Nepal.

The demand of facemasks has increased in the country as more Nepalis are in rush to buy them amidst growing fears of COVID-19.

Most of the schools of the Kathmandu Valley have instructed students to use mask to avoid the risks of transmitting the deadly virus.

The suppliers are selling a normal medical mask at up to Rs. 50 per piece at present which was available at Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 before the rumour of coronavirus.

According to Subedi, they took action against more than 10 medical and surgical shops after they found them selling the masks at exorbitantly high prices.

“Only today, we inspected seven pharmacies inside the valley and fined Rs. 200,000 each to Ayush Pharmacy, Bir Hospital and Eyejack Hospital Support, Chhetrapati as they were found selling masks and medicines at higher prices,” he said.

Similarly, they fined Rs. 20,000 to SJ Medical Surgical, Chhetrapati and Rs. 10,000 to RF Pharmacy, Mahabouddha.

However, one medical shop in Chhetrapati was found selling a piece of mask to each individual at Rs. 2.

A few days ago, the department had fined Nepal Care Surgical Supplies of Chhetrapati Rs. 200,000 for selling masks at a higher rate.

Similarly, it fined Rs. 10,000 to Sachin Trade Concerns of Chhetrapati, Rs. 5,000 each to Khanal Surgical and Archana Surgical and Fishtail Surgical House of Tripureshwor.

The department has threatened the suppliers that it would take action if anyone was found selling masks and other medicines and surgical items at higher rate than the market price.

With rising demand across the world after the COVID-19 virus threat, India recently banned the export of masks while China, which is one of the biggest mask manufacturers, itself has been importing them from other countries like Nepal.

Not only the masks, there is also a shortage of hand sanitizer in the local pharmacies.

Gayatri Banjara, a local of Gatthaghar, said that she did not get hand sanitizer despite visiting around 10 pharmacies on Wednesday.

“I visited almost 10 pharmacies from Gatthaghar to Putalisadak to buy hand sanitizer and masks, but I could not get the stuff. However, I managed to buy medical mask at Rs. 40 per piece,” she said.

According to Banjara, her son asked her to bring hand sanitizer as his school instructed pupils to use hand sanitizer and mask.