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Relatives of Covid patients unable to procure Remdesivir, protest in front of Collector’s office
PUNE Relatives of Covid patients unable to procure the drug Remdesivir, staged a protest in front of the Collector’s office on Thursday morning
PUNE Relatives of Covid patients unable to procure the drug Remdesivir, staged a protest in front of the Collector’s office on Thursday morning.
There is an acute scarcity of Remdesivir in Pune and frustrated relatives of Covid patients protested in the hope of gaining access to the injection.
The district authorities have admitted that supply is low and insisted that the administration is trying to ensure equitable distribution of Remdesivir.
A relative of a Covid patient who had come in from Pimpri-Chinchwad in search of Remdesivir, stated that he has to get 18 injections as his whole family is Covid positive.
“Hospitals are saying that we don’t have stock. I have visited all the main chemist centres and hospitals in the city, but failed to get even a single injection,” he said.
A control room has been set up at the collectorate to regulate supply and distribution of the injections.
Responding to questions raised about the scarcity of Remdesivir, the district administration said that Pune requires 45,000 injections and has got a fragmented supply of 12,000 in the last few days. Pune received 1,200 injections on Wednesday night.
“Doctors should not give Remdesivir prescriptions to the patients. It is creating panic. They should place the Remdesivir’s order through the hospitals. Pune district has a demand of 45,000 Remdesivir injections. Whatever amount of Remdesivir we are getting, we are directly providing it to hospitals. We have also appointed flying squads who are ensuring Remdesivir reaches the hospitals,” said Vijay Deshmukh, additional collector Pune.
“Supply is low, but we are trying for the equitable distribution,” added Deshmukh.
Due to the non-availablity of Remdesivir, the plight of patients’ relatives is not getting better. “My father is hospitalised in Saksham hospital, Kalewadi. The hospital administration said that the government will give us the injections. We don’t want to protest, but there is no option left. Today’s the third day I am standing in the line for this injection. People are buying it for much higher prices in black,” said the daughter of a Covid patient, part of the protest on Thursday morning.
