The availability of essential medicines, injections and liquid medical oxygen in Rajasthan is set to improve after the High Court issued directions for ensuring their supply to treat the COVID-19 patients “on a war footing”. The Remdesivir injection had to be issued to a patient within two hours of requisition, the court directed.
A Division Bench of the High Court, headed by Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty, issued notices on Tuesday to the Union government, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the State government on a public interest writ petition seeking directions for managing the second wave. The court issued a slew of directions while asking the respondents to file their replies.
Taking into consideration the situation, the court asked the State government to provide information on a real-time basis about beds with oxygen support and ventilators in the government and private hospitals. “The projection of vacancies may be reflected immediately on the web portal without sticking to the schedule of three times a day,” the Bench said.
The court said the supply of medical oxygen and medicines should be ensured in the government and private hospitals without any distinction. The authorities were directed to supply the medicines, in particular the Remdesivir injection, on receipt of the requisition urgently and not later than two hours.
Coronavirus updates | May 5, 2021
After it was informed that the oxygen generation plant in Jodhpur’s Mahatama Gandhi Hospital was not being put to use, the court directed the State government to explore the possibility of starting all oxygen plants which were not operative, but were capable of producing the life-saving gas.
The court suggested that the State government consider taking the services of MBBS final year students and those in the post-graduate medical and nursing courses for deployment on an emergent basis for treatment of patients.
The Bench sought an affidavit from the State government with regard to compliance with the order and asked it to provide details about the sourcing of oxygen and other medicines before Thursday, when the matter will come up for further hearing.
Medical & Health Minister Raghu Sharma said here on Wednesday the State government was trying its best to bring the allotted quota of liquid oxygen through different ways, though the State was getting 200 metric tonnes less than its requirement. The State would also shortly get a large number of oxygen concentrators, he said.
