MADURAI: Mathichiyam police detained a contract worker of Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) after 8 bottles (100 mg) of Remdesivir vials went missing.
According to police, the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of GRH, M Syed Abdul Kather (52) made a complaint that a contract worker, who is place in work at Covid ward in the super speciality block, on Sunday, took nine vials (100 mg) of Remdesivir to the ICU ward on first floor of the same block on request of hospital authorities for administrating it to patients.
Further, the contract worker had kept the nine vials in the ICU ward and returned back.
Later, when the officials opened the Remdesivir boxes on Monday, they found eight out of nine vials were missing.
The remaining vial was found broken inside the pack.
The information was passed to the hospital higher officials and a departmental enquiry was conducted.
Parallelly, a complaint was also launched with Mathichiyam police.
According to police, the cost of the Remdesivir vials is estimated as Rs.38,400, but it would be worth more than Rs.3 lakh in black market.
CCTV footages of the hospital were taken by the police for identifying the culprit.
According to a senior official of the hospital, an unnamed contract employee was suspended and memo was issued to the hospital staffs who were on duty during the incident.
Matchiyam inspector of police, Devaki on Tuesday said that they have taken the contract worker for investigation and the inquiry is on.
Meanwhile, the Dean of GRH, Dr J Sangumani inspected the stocks of Remdesivir at GRH.