Mumbai, Sep 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday that some mask and sanitizer manufacturers are selling their products with too high a mark-up, and will soon face action.

"The production cost of N-95 mask is Rs 18 per unit, but some manufacturers are selling them for around Rs 200," the minister told reporters.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi’s Address at USISPF Summit Live Streaming: Watch Live Telecast of PM’s Speech at the 3rd Annual Leadership Summit on DD News.

"This is too much profiteering. They will soon face legal action from the state government. They can surely make reasonable profit, but not so much," he said.

Speaking about allegations that health infrastructure in Pune city is failing to cope with the coronavirus situation, Tope said, "I had been told that by August 31 there would be 20,879 beds without oxygen, some 4,000 beds with oxygen and 927 ICU beds. With addition of 100 ventilators, the number of ventilators in the district is now 629."

Also Read | Final Year Exams 2020 in Maharashtra: Complete Examinations and Declare Results by October 31, Governor Directs University VCs.

A journalist died of COVID-19 in the city on Wednesday, with his relatives alleging that he could not be shifted in time to a private hospital for want of a cardiac ambulance.

When asked about him, Tope said, "I was told his antigen test came negative on August 20, but he should have immediately gone for RT-PCR test. He delayed it a bit and his situation worsened.

"I have asked Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh to submit a detailed report on why he could not get a cardiac ambulance in time," the minister added.

"I have already given clear instructions to collectors and municipal commissioners to requisition private ambulances," Tope further said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)