THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The unavailability of Remdesivir injections — an antiviral drug used for treating Covid patients — is becoming a huge concern as cases surge in state. Social media posts seeking help to get Remdesivir for a critically-ill patient admitted at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH) exposes how ill-prepared the state is to take on the second wave of the pandemic.
Lalitha, 62, a Covid patient under treatment in the ICU of Thiruvananthapuram MCH, is fighting for her life. Her kin said they have been searching for the medicine for the past two days but failed to source it even from the private sector.
“My mother-in-law got admitted at the MCH five days ago. The doctors asked us to arrange two doses of Remdesivir injections, which is crucial for her recovery, from somewhere. I have been searching for it for the past two days. I even posted on social media asking friends to source the medicine and send it. I have visited every medical shop and private hospital here, but could not get it,” said Sudhashine V S, the son-in-law of Lalitha.
“It is very unfortunate that a public healthcare institution is asking patients to source life-saving medicine from outside. The government is supposed to ensure such basic things that are crucial for Covid management. We already lost my father-in-law to Covid-19 a few days ago. I approached a private hospital for the medicine. They have stock but are not ready to give it. Two doses of Remdesivir injections cost around `10,000,” he said.
As of Saturday, 458 Covid patients are in ICUs across the state. With Kerala expecting to hit the peak of Covid second wave in the coming weeks, medicine shortage is going to be a major problem besides a slew of other challenges. On Sunday, 18,257 new Covid cases were reported in the state and the test positivity rate crossed 16%.A senior official of Thiruvananthapuram MCH said Remdesivir is unavailable.
“Not only Kerala, the entire country is facing its shortage, due to issues related to its production. Now, the Centre has allowed more manufacturers to produce it,” said the official. The Centre had approved Remdesivir injection in the treatment protocol of Covid-19 during the first wave. “It is being used as a supportive medicine for treating Covid. From our experience, a set of patients would benefit from it,” the official added.
According to the State Drugs Control Department, the shortage would be solved this week. “We are expecting more supply in the next couple of days. During the first wave, we made available Remdesivir injections following its inclusion in the treatment protocol. We used it only during critical stages. When the pandemic subsided, we returned the excess stock,” said the official.
“Many other states have started giving Remdesivir during the initial stage of the treatment, creating a huge demand. We have distributed the existing stock to public healthcare institutions in the state and are keeping track of its availability. Once we get more stocks the state would become self-sufficient in fighting the second wave,” the official said.