Hospitals to provide Remdesivir injections to patients, says Pune dist collector Rajesh Deshmukh

PUNE As the panic over the shortage of Remdesivir injections continued, Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh has issued an order stating hospitals to provide the injection to the patients and not ask family or relatives to buy the drug.

Remdesivir is a crucial drug that is used to treat patients infected with the Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid infection.

“The order has been issued to prohibit the black marketing and stocking of Remdesivir. To ensure the smooth supply for sale, purchase and distribution this order has been given to the concerned establishments,” the order stated.

“There is more demand for Remdesivir from private hospitals and so it has created artificial scarcity. No person will get Remdesivir from any retailer. If a patient requires the injection, it will be made available by the hospital. We are starting a helpline for complaints regarding Remdesivir. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) joint commissioner has been appointed as a nodal officer,” said Saurabh Rao, divisional commissioner of Pune.

In the last few days, acute scarcity of Remdesivir has been experienced in Pune. The patient’s kin have been crowding the chemists’ shops where the injection is available. The administration also had received complaints regarding overcharging for a vial. In the light of all these events, the district collector has issued specific instructions for the hospitals to provide the injection to the patients.

Hospitals are asked to place the order of Remdesivir to the supplier keeping the requirement for three days in mind. Suppliers will have to provide the daily sale report of the drug including hospital name, associated chemists name, bills, total sale to Pune Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The hospitals which do not have associated medical stores can place orders to wholesale suppliers or ‘C and F agents’. Hospitals will have to provide Remdesivir with government-approved rates.