Kolkata: Following Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s demand for an immediate rollback of the essential medicine price hike last Wednesday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and workers staged protests across every block on Friday, opposing the decision that would heavily burden the lower middle class.
Trinamool Congress will also hold similar protest rally on Saturday as well from 4 to 5 pm on the same issue.
Trinamool Congress leaders, who organised protest rallies at various levels, questioned how common people could afford medical treatment if essential drugs became excessively expensive.
Processions were held across the state with festoons and banners, as protesters raised slogans against the Centre’s “irresponsible” decision, which they argued would harm millions not only in Bengal but also across the country. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier slammed the Centre over hike in prices of more than 900 essential drugs from April 1 and application of GST in health insurance.
She also announced that her party would hold protest rallies in all blocks on April 4 & 5.
“I strongly protest. I request (the Centre) to withdraw this decision. We will hold protest rallies and meetings in every block and every civic ward across the state from 4pm to 5pm on April 4 and 5.
I would urge the common people to protest. Else this unilateral decision of the Centre would take a heavy toll on health,” Banerjee had said on April 2.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had announced an increase in the prices of over 900 essential drugs from April 1.
The list includes medicines for critical infections, heart diseases, diabetes, cancer.