The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday ordered the state-run and private hospitals in Uttar Pradesh to provide Remdesivir injections to the critically ill COVID-19 patients free of cost.
Though private hospitals in the state are asked to procure the drug directly from the market and the manufacturers, they can still procure it from the District Magistrate and the Chief Medical Officer if they don’t get supplies of Remdesivir and it is very necessary for the survival of the patients. For this, orders have been issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
No shortage of Remdesivir in Uttar Pradesh, every district to be provided with life-saving drugs: Yogi Adityanath
While chairing a high-level meeting on Monday, UP CM Yogi said that there is no shortage of Remdesivir, a crucial antiviral drug, and other life-saving medicines in the state. Parallelly, the supply of the medicines is increasing on a daily basis, he added.
Instructing UP administration employees to follow the mantra of ‘Dawai Bhi Kadai Bhi’, UP CM asked them to ensure there is no wastage of vaccines.
He also suggested health authorities to conduct testing before administering Remdesivir or other life-saving drugs to the patients, so that no untoward reaction takes place in patients. It is worth mentioning that Remdesivir will be only given to patients who are admitted at the hospital and on the basis of the Doctor’s prescription.
Every day one Remdesivir vial will be given to patients of non-invasive ventilation beds of private and government hospitals and medical colleges. At present, around 5500 patients are being given this injection daily. The distribution of this injection is being made through Director General, Medical Education and Training, and Uttar Pradesh Medical Supplies Corporation Limited.
Yogi Adityanath also asked the authorities to ensure that remdesivir vials are available at L-2 COVID-19 hospitals across the state.
Furthermore, to avert an emergency crisis, Yogi Adityanath said that every district of Uttar Pradesh will be provided with 1,800 spare Remdesivir vials, in case those in dire need can procure from the administration without having to wait. These vials will be sold to patients at a fixed cost.
Yogi Adityanath’s crackdown against black-marketers indulging in the illegal sale of life-saving drugs, oxygen cylinders
Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the state, the UP government has taken measures to stop black-marketing of essential drugs, including Remdesivir. To curb the illegal sale of essential drugs, the CM has ordered to slap NSA (National Security Act) against people who are involved in black-marketing of Covid-19 medicines.
About 44 people have been already arrested by the government for black-marketing essential medicines. As many as 877 Remdesivir injections, 340 oxygen cylinders, mobile phones and cash of Rs 9,42,660 have been recovered from them.
Special Task Force have been instituted to stop the black marketing of life-saving drugs, including Remdesivir. At the district level, the police have also issued helpline numbers to take action against those who committed black marketing.
Instead of registering a case property on injections and cylinders recovered from black-marketers, they are being used to treat people in urgent need of medicines and oxygen.
The Yogi Adityanath government has also come down hard against those who indulge in spreading rumours. In fact, a hospital operator has also been sued for spreading rumours of lack of oxygen in Barabanki district. The accused had an adequate amount of oxygen cylinders, but he refused to admit the patient on the pretext of not having oxygen and gave misleading bytes of not having oxygen on the channels, but when the administration conducted an investigation in the matter, they recovered a sizeable number of oxygen cylinders.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has recently said that black marketing of life-saving drugs like Remedisvir is a big crime. He asked police to take stringent action against those involved in it under the Gangster Act. He also appealed to the people to cooperate and honour the warriors involved in the battle of Corona. He asked people to not unnecessarily hoard life-saving medicines and oxygen etc. and deprive others who may urgently need it.