Amidst the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and increase in the shortage of oxygen and Remdesivir, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope today said the state government is doing its best to break the virus. "We are doing our best as far as providing crucial drugs such as Remdesivir and medical oxygen supply is concerned," he noted.
Tope further clarified that the government, since day one, has never tried to hide figures related to COVID-19 cases, deaths, testing and vaccination. And, the government has maintained complete transparency in handling the pandemic. He added that the administration has strictly followed testing, tracing and tracking to curb the spread of the virus. "We had managed to flatten the curve. There was a time when we had reached 1,500 to 2,000 cases. Yes, we did ease the restrictions at the time," he opined.
According to the minister, nobody had imagined the volume of cases, especially after the state was hit by the second wave of COVID-19. He said the government is focusing on further strengthening and expanding the health infrastructure, mobilising oxygen and Remdesivir amidst the rise in demand due to spurt in cases, and optimum use of the existing facilities to treat the patients. "There were only 1 lakh beds in the first wave. Now, we have five lakh beds in Maharashtra. There were only two laboratories earlier. Now, the state has over 500 laboratories for testing," he said.
The minister said the supply of Remdesivir to private hospitals will be done only based on the active patient factor. “There is an urgent need for the private and public hospitals to use Remdesivir judiciously as per the recommendations of the task force on COVID-19,” he added. Tope urged the people to strictly follow the COVID-19 norms.
Tope said that the state government has made it mandatory for private hospitals to set up oxygen generation plants on a priority basis. Besides, small hospitals with 10 beds will be urged to purchase oxygen concentrators at the earliest. This is in addition to the installation of oxygen generation plants by the district general hospitals.
