Exploiting the pandemic

A majority of people don’t know what a coronavirus patient goes through. For many people, recovering from the illness is a breeze. However, there are a large number of people who show severe symptoms and may have to rely on oxygen therapy to breathe. A few people who are lucky enough to find a bed in a hospital go there to get the treatment started. On the other hand, the rest of the people try to arrange oxygen cylinders and stay at home. There are a sufficient number of people who stayed at home during their period of illness and recovered through oxygen therapy. These people had to buy cylinders and then get it refilled on a regular basis. For many people, the pandemic was the best time for their business. Before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the, cost of a small oxygen cylinder was Rs4,000. Now, it has crossed the Rs8,000 mark. The cost of a refill was Rs300. Now, the cost has reached Rs6,000. In this scenario, can a middle-class person survive? Nobody is there to keep a check on these prices. There are so many people who are isolating at home and getting themselves treated without getting their PCR tests done. Once they start showing the symptoms, the doctors advise them to start the treatment. There is a possibility that the authorities don’t have the actual numbers of positive cases. For me, there is no point in requesting PM Imran Khan to take notice of the situation. It seems that after coming into power, he has forgotten about the country’s middle-class who is the backbone of any society. Vendors who are involved in the trade of oxygen cylinders are requested to not increase prices. They shouldn’t use the pandemic as an opportunity to make money.

Imran A Siddiqui

Karachi