To reduce the rising number of COVID-19-related deaths in the twin city, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) had started offering vials of Remdesivir injection for patients undergoing treatment for the deadly virus at private hospitals in case of unavailability.
As per the lifesaving plan rolled out in accordance with the revised treatment protocols recommended by the government for the management of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, MBMC, as a stop-gap arrangement to tackle shortage or unavailability, started providing injections to private hospitals for emergency cases in the first week of September. In the past two months, private hospitals have availed 375 injections (100 mg) on a loan basis to be replaced by an equal number of vials within a fortnight. However, only 170 injections were returned. MBMC awaits 205 replacements from eight private hospitals that had availed the facility. “We have been requesting the hospital management to return the injections; however, eight hospitals are yet to return 205 vials. We have informed our higher ups about it,” said a medico attached to the store department at MBMC’s dedicated COVID-19 care facility in Bhayandar. “The scheme loan-basis is itself self-explanatory. The hospitals are supposed to make the replacements on time. We will issue notices to the concerned hospitals,” confirmed Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sambhajji Waghmare. 146 and 152 people had lost their lives due to the deadly infection in September and October, respectively. Presently, the MBMC which procures Remdesivir at Rs 2,182 (plus taxes) per vial of 100 mg and has a sufficient stock of around 1,900 vials.
