A counter for selling Remdesivir was opened at Madurai Medical College opposite Gandhi Memorial Museum here on Saturday.
Collector T. Anbalagan, who visited the centre, said that this measure was taken by the State government to ensure that Remdesivir, which is important for treating patients with severe COVID-19 infections, was available at many places across the State.
Each vial of Remdesivir would be sold at ₹1,568. For one person, a maximum of six vials would be sold at a cost of ₹9,408. Those who want to buy Remdesivir will have to submit the doctor’s prescription, CT scan report, RT-PCR test report, a photocopy of the patient’s Aadhaar card as well as the buyer’s Aadhaar card.
The Collector said that people from government as well as private hospitals, and from other districts too can buy Remdesivir at the counter. The Government Rajaji Hospital has deployed a doctor at the centre. The doctor will verify the medical records and accordingly Remdesivir will be sold only to eligible persons.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Sciences Corporation has provided 500 vials to the counter as on Saturday. More number of vials will be provided to the counter regularly depending upon the demand, said the Collector.
Earlier, many government and private hospitals across the district faced shortage of the drug. This resulted in black marketing of the drug. According to sources, a vial of Remdesivir was sold as high as ₹10,000 in the black market in Madurai. The Collector said that selling Remdesivir through the government counter will avoid black marketing of the drug.
Mr. Anbalagan said that oxygen requirement in the district has increased by three times. As more number of patients required oxygen support in the second wave, the district administration was taking steps to source additional oxygen for hospitals in Madurai, he added.