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HC quashes Centre’s ban on oxytocin manufacture
Why is it in news?
- The Delhi High Court quashed the Centre’s decision to ban the manufacture and sale of Oxytocin a drug which induces labour and controls bleeding during child birth by private firms.
- A Bench of HC set aside the government’s April 27 notification imposing the ban saying it was “arbitrary and unreasonable”.
What HC observed?
- Not considered ill effects: The government did not adequately weigh in the danger to the users of Oxytocin nor consider the deleterious effect to the public generally and women particularly of possible restricted supply if manufacture is confined to one unit to the pregnant women and young mothers of a potentially life-saving drug.
- Monopoly of govt: It said the Centre’s decision to allow only a single, state-run entity — with no prior experience in manufacturing Oxytocin to make and sell the drug was fraught with potential adverse consequences.
- The risk of such a consequence can be drastic: the scarcity of the drug, or even a restricted availability can cause increase in maternal fatalities, during childbirth, impairing lives of thousands of innocent young mothers.
Source
The Hindu