Nagpur: The doctors at Covid hospitals in the city remained very tense as anti-viral drug Remdesivir and oxygen were in short supply. This prevented them from concentrating on treating the patients. As per sources, for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, the city received around 1,000 vials of Remdesivir with the death count reaching 98.
Sources from the district and Food and Drugs Administration stated that long queues at Bhilai plant and slow movement of the tankers have added to the problem. “There is heavy rush at the Bhilai plant as the demand for oxygen is from many states. Also, tankers have to move at 4o kmph to avoid dangerous breaking,” said a senior official from the district administration, adding that a tanker takes “at least three days to reach Nagpur from Bhilai”.
The FDA, following heavy protests over shortage of oxygen by some hospitals, is learnt to have reframed the oxygen allotment policy for Covid and non-Covid patients. Some hospitals are learnt to be receiving a separate quota of oxygen for non-Covid patients now to avoid inconvenience.
It’s also learnt that the chief secretary has written to the commissioner of the Skill Development Department to extend help in setting up an oxygen plant for clinical use at Mahagenco sites at Khaparkheda in Nagpur, Paras in Akola and Parli in Beed. The state government has also urged district collectors to focus on setting up more oxygen-generation plants.
After the day’s anxious wait, some of the hospitals on Wednesday got a few vials of Remdesivir (Orange City Hospital and Research Institute got 17 vials). While a couple received one and there were some like Radiance hospital in east Nagpur which did not receive even a single vial.
The Remdesivir allotment was made from some of the stock which was received on Tuesday. It was nowhere close to the demands of more than 16,000 vials for the existing patients at different hospitals.
Dr Anup Marar, convenor of the Vidarbha Hospital Association (VHA) and managing director at Orange City, said he had to set up a clinical committee to decide the names of the patient who would get those 17 injections. “We have got 17 cylinders of oxygen,” he said.
Dr Manoj Purohit, of the Radiance hospital, said he received no stock of Remdesivir but is hopeful of being provided some when the vials arrive. “We are continuing with whatever drugs possible to replace Remdesivir but recovery would certainly be slow,” he said.
While the hospitals claimed to be under stress for not receiving Remdesivir, the district administration kept the fingers crossed about receiving more stock on Thursday. After being heavily pulled up by the high court, the district administration and FDA are trying to fetch more stock from the manufacturers.
Oxygen shortage too kept the hospital managements, district administration and FDA on their toes. With a shortfall of at least 25-30 metric tonnes, the district administration remained engaged in rationing the supply to hospitals.
According to Ehtesham Parekh, a social worker engaged in providing free oxygen cylinders, his vehicle is waiting at “the supply station where there is a serpentine queue” and his turn “is expected to come after several hours”.
According to Dr Praveen Bais of Nucleus Mother and Child Hospital, said he got some oxygen cylinders which helped him save some patients.
A relative of a patient told TOI that he managed to get one oxygen cylinder on his own allowing the kin to continue treatment in the same hospital. “I took an empty oxygen cylinder from the hospital and got a refill after roaming for hours. I had to pay Rs 1,500 for refilling whereas its costs around Rs 400 during normal times. I had no option as finding a bed in another hospital is impossible. I don’t know how I will manage this again,”he said.
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Highway patrol on alert, Upadhyay
Additional DG (state traffic) BK Upadhyay said the highway patrol police have been alerted to remain on toes to ensure smooth movement of the oxygen tankers across the state. He said state government has told the highway patrol department to ensure the oxygen tankers are not obstructed or held up at traffic snarls.