Mumbai: In a bid to ensure that citizens do not have to have to run from pillar to post for Remdesivir and Tocilizumab injections, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has ordered the city collector to start a centralised portal which would contain details of hospitals and availability of these injections.
Maharashtra state has also informed the bench that it has agreed to set up an oxygen plant at Nagpur. A bench of Justices Zaka Haq and Amit Borkar was hearing a suo motu PIL pertaining to COVID-19 crisis in Nagpur.
On April 12, when the matter was heard, the bench was informed that there is a huge shortage of both the injections and that some private practitioners have purchased these injections and are selling the same in black market.
The bench suggested of starting an online portal to make information regarding the two injections available. Accordingly, on April 13, the state informed the bench that it would immediately start a portal and put up information regarding its availability, names of hospitals where these injections are being administered.
The state further informed the judges that if a patient doesn't get a bed in a dedicated hospital, he or she would be administered the dose in the Outpatient Department (OPD). And if the patient doesn't get the injection even in the OPD, he or she would be given the same in a non-dedicated Covid hospital.
"Such patient shall not be denied the Remdesivir injections only on the ground that he or she has undergone treatment in a Non-Dedicated Covid-19 Hospital," the bench ordered. As far as the Tocilizumab Injections is concerned, the state told the judges that the same is regulated by the Union government and not the state.
Accordingly, the judges in their April 13 orders, said, "The Joint Commissioner, FDA, Nagpur shall collect the data from the pharmacists to whom Tocilizumab Injections are
supplied from the Nagpur Depot of Cipla Pharmaceuticals."
"The details of availability of Tocilizumab Injections with the pharmacists shall be made available on the centralized portal. The pharmacists, who do not cooperate must be dealt with strictly," the judges ordered.
The bench was further informed that makeshift dedicated Covid centers could be made available at Mankapur stadium in Nagpur.
"For this purpose, the Collector, Nagpur may take assistance of any officer of Nagpur Municipal Corporation or State Government. Also, we hope and trust that the Railway Authorities will co-operate with the Collector, Nagpur and other
concerned authorities at Nagpur to make available the facilities in their hospitals, which are under-utilised to the needy patients," the bench added, while posting the matter for further hearing on April 20.
