CHENNAI: The counter at Government Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai, which is selling the Remdesivir drug to prevent its black marketing is helping patients who are dependent on oxygen. A huge queue was witnessed at the Kilpauk hospital with the relatives of patients lining up to buy the drug.
Tamil Nadu health minister Vijayabhaskar while speaking to IANS said, "The drug is available at the counter of Kilpauk Medical College with the doctor's prescription of the drug, Aadhar card, RT-PCR positive report and CT report of the patient. This is helping patients and private hospitals on a case to case basis."
The medicine is priced at Rs 1565 per dose including GST and this is a method employed by the Tamil Nadu government to prevent black marketing of the drug. Patients who require oxygen support are prescribed six doses of the Remdesivir injection.
According to the guidelines of the ICMR, the drug is used for patients who have to depend on external supply of oxygen and to improve the condition of their lungs.
Remdesivir is used against the Ebola virus and is now used regularly for patients affected by the corona virus. The central government has banned the export of the drug and its pharmaceutical components.
Hospitals are also allowed to purchase the drug by showing the details of the patient's records and the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation (TNMSC) is selling the drug to the private hospitals on a case to case basis.
Director of TNMSC, Dr P Umanath while speaking to IANS said, "We are selling the medicine to the private hospitals after they produce the details of the patients and the records. This is on a case to case basis and we are insisting to these hospitals not to sell the medicine at a higher price. Government hospitals have the stock and hence we are monitoring the situation and providing medicine to private hospitals."