Attendants of COVID-19 patients are making rounds to the District Medical and Health Officer’s (DMHO’s) office, near Bullayya College to get the authorisation of the official concerned for issue of Remdesivir injection. Some private hospitals are taking undue advantage of the anxiety of the patients and their attendants and creating a scare among them.
These hospitals are admitting patients and directing their relatives to get an authorisation from the DMHO for supply of the injection. These hospitals are issuing letters addressed to the district authorities seeking that the Remdesivir injection vials be issued in the name of the patient, giving his/her name and Aadhaar number. The hospital authorities are requesting the officials to issue the drug, through the DMHO, as the patient requires it immediately and it is not available in the open market.
A private hospital near Jagadamba Junction and another at Sheela Nagar had asked the attendants of patients to get authorisation letters from the DMHO.
“The DMHO is away most of the time attending meetings at the Collectorate and there is no one else to sign the authorisation in his absence,” says N. Kalidas, a resident of Sheela Nagar area.
An elderly woman, undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the city, was given four vials of Remdesivir and her attendant was asked to get two doses from outside. The attendant was running from pillar to post but stockists turned him away on the plea of non-availability.
“Remdesivir injection is being supplied by the pharma companies and stockists to the hospitals directly. The drug is available at government hospitals,” says DMHO P. Suryanarayana.
People alleged that unscrupulous private hospitals misleading patients to create artificial scarcity for the injection and make them shell out more money.
Meanwhile, the names of Remdesivir stockists in Vizag and their phone numbers are being circulated on social media.
Those who require the same are being asked to contact them so that the drug could be supplied directly to the hospital, where the patient was being treated.
Attempts by this correspondent to reach the mobile number of a supplier failed as the repeated answer was ‘phone switched off’. This drug company claims to have been authorised by the Drug Controller to distribute Remdesivir to hospital pharmacies.
Repeated attempts to reach the Drugs Controller, for a clarification on his mobile, failed as there was no response.
