Guntur doctor held, 100 Remdesivir vials seized

VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna district police caught a doctor and his aide while they were transporting Remdesivir injections illegally from Hyderabad to Guntur at Garikapadu checkpost on Thursday. SEB Additional Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal said on specific information about illegal transportation of Remdesivir injections, they conducted checks in a TSRTC bus coming from Hyderabad and found 100 vials of Remdesivir with Dr Karikapati Subba Rao, who runs Bhushaiah Memorial Hospital at Edlapadu, and his staffer Ajay Kumar. Vakul Jindal said Dr Subba Rao and his staffer procured Remdesivir injections from Dr Bhavya, a gynaecologist working in Landmark Hospital in Hyderabad. Remdesivir injection is being sold at Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 in black market.

A case will be registered against Bhushaiah Memorial Hospital for treating Covid cases without having permission, he said. DGP Gautam Sawang said the police, along with vigilance and enforcement, drug control administration and medical and health departments, intensified raids to check black marketing of Remdesivir. Two IPS officers were posted in Covid Control Room for coordination with other departments, he said.