"Due to scarcity of pathedin even in the drug wholesale markets at Mitford and Chankherpool, an ampoule now costs between Tk 280 and 500," said a wholesaler at Mitford, adding that some hoarders have stockpiled pathedin to fetch huge profit which may further aggravate the situation.

Husband of a patient now being treated at a city hospital said he had to procure two ampoules of pethidine from a clinic worker at Tk 320 apiece after failing to get it at the Mitford wholesale drug market.

"The time of my surgery was delayed by two days as the drug used for post operative 'pain killing' could not be found in the markets," said a patient with gallbladder stone.

High renewal fee and complicated process for getting licence cause problem in procuring pethedine for operation purposes, said some private clinic officials.

To have permission to store, dispense and use pethedine a clinic or hospital must have at least 50-bed capacity.

Some 40 private clinics in the city have licence for pethedine while most of the clinics are conducting operations without permission, Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) sources said.

Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL), the only state-owned pethedine producer, however, claimed that they have enough supply of the drug for the government hospitals although currently they have no stock of raw materials for further production of the drug.

Meanwhile, increasing demand of the drug which is under strict control of DNC, has led to sales on the black market and widespread smuggling of low quality pethedine from across the border.

Admitting that the government does not control the price of pethedine, DNC Deputy Director Abu Taleb said, "There is restriction on the use of pethedine as the drug is often used as an addictive. In fact pethedine production and supply is enough but brokers taking advantage of the restriction have artificially raised price of the drug."