Ahmedabad: Two days ago, Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had announced that Covid patients in home care will be given Remdesivir injection through Ahmedabad Hospital and Nursing Home Association (AHNA). The AMC also supplied a stock of 450 Remdesivir injection to AHNA which were distributed immediately to doctors associated with AHNA for the use of patients. However AHNA has today informed the media that the next stock is not being supplied from AMC.

According to Joint Secretaries joint secretary Dr. Jigar Shah, if Remdesivir injections are administered in the initial phase of Covid19 infection, the chances of complications reduce. As 95 percent beds are occupied across the hospitals and waiting period is on for availability of beds, lot of patients are taking covid treatment in home-care mode. The AMC had decided to offer Remdesivir injections to such patients through AHNA. On Thursday evening, 450 injections were sent by AMC to AHNA, and they were all utilized by 11 am yesterday. Now AHNA has no stock and new injections are not arriving. We are in constant touch with AMC. In the morning around 200 persons were waiting for delivery of Remdesivir.

According to AHNA president Dr. Bharat Gadhvi, AMC officials are not receiving phone calls and refusing to reply. When contacted on Friday, the AMC officials said even they had no stock of Remdesivir to supply.

Generally, a Covid patient requires six Remdesivir injections. If one injections is administered but next five injections are not administered as per schedule, even the use of first injection would go to wastage.

The Government had initially decided that only those who are hospitalized will get Remdesivir injection through direct hospital supply. Amid this situation, when Cadila Healthcare started selling its affordable Remdesivir injections from Zydus hospitals, thousands of people had gathered outside in queues to buy the injections. However after the Gujarat High Court’s remark and bad optics associated with long queues, Zydus Hospitals stopped direct sell. As the government made it mandatory for anyone in need of Remdesivir to get hospitalized first, the burden on hospital beds has increased unbelievably and it takes hours of waiting for ambulances outside the public hospitals for admission of covid patients. Couple of days AMC announced to offer the injections to doctors registered with AHNA for covid patients under home care. However for some reasons, the supply is not constant. Thousands of covid patients under home care are desperately waiting for Remdesivir injections across Gujarat. In black market, the price of injection worth Rs. 899 is as high as Rs. 12,000. If the government doesn’t make available Remdesivir for home care in sufficient number, the burden on hospital beds is going to be unimaginably high in days to come. The government has asked seven pharma companies that produce Remdesivir injections to ramp up the production. DeshGujarat

And so major producers of Fabiflu such as Glenmark, whose unit is in Central Gujarat, MSN Labs in Hyderabad etc. are for last few dsys not able to manufacture and supply Fabiflu, a basic drug used widely for Covid patients. Gujarat Govt must quickly restore oxygen to needy units.

— Japan K Pathak (@JapanPathak) April 16, 2021

Common doctors who deal with covid patients and "expert" doctors who deal with govt/media are in different zones. Common doctors would prescribe Remdesivir even in home care at certain stage if situation worsens. Hospital hunting for Remdesivir then becomes impractical and late. https://t.co/xP1MxWHgGv

— Japan K Pathak (@JapanPathak) April 14, 2021

I pledge with a folded hands allow Use of Remdesivir in patients of home-care packages.

Hospital Are flooded
Medicos & Paramedical staff are under tremendous work load.
This decision will make people rushes for hospitals as a moment their report come positive!@narendramodi ji https://t.co/4wv4LP5RkY

— dr parag (@ParagDr) April 13, 2021