Details are being released to help patients review hospital claims, Singhal says
Chief Secretary for Health, Medicine and Family Welfare Anil Kumar Singhal said the state government has started delivering remdesivir drugs on demand to private hospitals treating COVID patients to end supply shortages and black marketing. He said the state government is already supplying 320 tons of liquid oxygen.
Mr Singhal spoke at a press conference about the shortage of drugs and oxygen for COVID treatment in the state.
He said 11,454 vials of remdesivir will be sent to private hospitals by Tuesday and there will be no shortages. Private hospitals can get the drug from drug companies, but if they run out of drug they can turn to the government by filing a debit to the node officials appointed for the purpose.
All the details regarding the delivery and availability of the drug in private hospitals will be released shortly so that patients can verify the information provided by the hospitals.
Oxygen audit
On oxygen supply, Mr Singhal said that both state and private hospitals in the state are consuming about 320 tons per day, including waste and improperly providing patients with adequate oxygen saturation. The supply and use of oxygen in hospitals is checked every day to the last kiloliter to avoid misuse and waste.
Meanwhile, the director general of the Drug Control Administration (DG-DCA) S. Ravi Shankar Narayan said the government started delivering remdesivir to reported COVID hospitals as of Monday. He said that to prevent Remdevisir from being illicitly marketed, the DCA is conducting surprise raids across the state. “We booked four cases for those who sell the injections at high rates in Visakhapatnam, Guntur and other places. The raids are continuing, ”Narayan said The Hindu.
Meetings restricted
Mr Singhal said that due to the increasing incidence of COVID infections, the government has decided to only allow 50 people to attend events and events, including marriages. He said gyms, swimming pools and sports arenas must be closed and only 50% of the cinemas and public transport are busy.