In the city’s medium-sized private hospitals, an acute shortage of Remdesivir, which is commonly used to treat Covid patients, is wreaking havoc. While the State Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society claim that Karnataka has enough stock of the drug, the health and family welfare department commissioner K V Trilok Chandra claims that only 15,000 doses are currently available at the warehouse.
This is in comparison to the corporate hospitals, which have stocked up sufficiently to shield themselves from a disruption in the drug’s supply. Smaller hospitals are now requesting that their stocks of the drug be shared in order to handle emergency cases.
On Saturday, 60 Covid patients at Suguna Hospital near Rajajinagar skipped their Remdesivir dose. We don’t have any Remdesivir in stock, and our vendors are out as well, most of our patients missed the dose on Saturday. Over the past 15 days, the hospital has seen a spike in the number of Covid cases admitted. Dr. R Ravindra, managing director of Suguna Hospital, said.
Sanjeevini Hospital, near Mahalakshmi Layout, is in a similar situation. Our stock will possibly last another day, said Dr. Subhash Reddy, the hospital’s director. The supply is being rationed by the vendors. In our 60-bed hospital, we currently have 20 Covid patients, Remdesivir is needed in nearly 60% of admitted patients, he said.
Although hospitals blame the government for not ensuring a sufficient supply of the drug in the state, K V Trilok Chandra, commissioner of the state’s health and family welfare department, disagrees. He said that Karnataka has enough Remdesivir on hand. The hospitals must contact the Karnataka State Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society and obtain it from them, says the expert. The hospitals are aware of the procurement process, according to Chandra.
Private hospitals have asked additional chief secretary Jawaid Akhtar to allow them to purchase Remdesivir for all of their patients from the state warehouse.
A five-day Remdesivir regimen for a Covid-19 patient consists of 200mg intravenously on the first day, followed by 100mg daily for the next four days. Remdesivir comes in a vial of 100 mg of the drug.
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