Indore: Shortage of the Remdesivir injection in the city looms large as a huge number of people are running across the city to get at least one-two doses for their patients who are struggling for life in hospitals.
Meanwhile, a social media post has made people run between the Collectorate and the Chief Medical and Health Officer’s office; but, this ‘Remdesivir Run’ has been proving futile for those aspiring to get doses of the injection.
A social media post has been going viral in which people are shown how to procure doses of the injection from the administration. This post says that people have to get a form attested by the CMHO and Civil Surgeon and submit it to the Drug Inspector or the Red Cross Society at the Collector’s office to collect the injection from there.
“I’ve been roaming across the city to get an injection for my brother, who has been admitted to Siddhi Vinayak Hospital. I’m a health worker in a private hospital, but didn’t get any support from them. I approached the Collectorate, from where the officials sent me to the CMHO office,” Preeti Singh, a patient’s family member said. She added that the CMHO, Dr BS Saitya, informed me that there was no facility for distributing injections from his office and that they were helpless in providing injections.
Preeti was not the only one, as about 50-60 people have been thronging to the CMHO office every day to get the injection only to come back disappointed.
Meanwhile, CMHO Dr Saitya said, “The message circulating on social media is for the districts which have district hospitals and not for Indore. Due to the confusion, many people are coming to my office, but I’m helpless in providing them the injection.” He said that the administration was providing the injections directly to the hospitals and not to patients.
Shortage only in the hospitals
While the administration and hospitals are claiming that there is a shortage of the Remdesivir injection in the city, many people alleged that it was available from those who were selling it at a premium. Many pharmacies in hospitals—and even hospital staff—are selling it at higher rates, while hospitals come up with the excuse of a shortage of the injection.
Minister, city BJP chief skip queries
Minister Tulsi Silawat and BJP city president Gourav Randive on Saturday skipped the media queries over shortage of Remdesivir injection and its blackmarketing. Instead of giving any response to the media, Silawat asked mediapersons to support the government instead of blaming it and both the leaders abruptly left the conference in the middle of it. Earlier, both leaders had given the assurance that the facilities would be increased and the situation controlled soon.
Separate cell for journalists
MLA Sanjay Shukla on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and appealed to him to constitute a separate cell for the treatment of journalists. He mentioned that two city journalists afflicted by Covid-19 had died due to delay in their treatment and the government should constitute a cell to help scribes get proper treatment.
