Pune: Provide Remdesivir Injection To Patients, Don’t Ask Relatives To Buy From Outside – District Collector Issues Order To Hospitals
Mrunal Jadhav
Pune, April 10, 2021: In the backdrop of rising Coronavirus disease (COVID19) positive cases and a shortage of Remdesivir injection, the Pune District Collector has issued an order for smooth distribution and sale of the anti-viral injection.
According to officials, instead of Rs 1100-1400 per injection vile, it is being sold for Rs 5000-15000 by chemists and some hospitals. Therefore, the Maharashtra state government instructed all district collectors to take steps to prevent hoarding and black marketing of Remdesivir injections.
Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, District Collector, Pune and Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority, today issued an order to all Covid Hospital affiliated Pharmacy / Medical Store, distributor and the company’s C&F agent as follows:
- Hospitals are required to register as Covid Hospital with the competent health officer within their jurisdiction before starting Covid Hospital and it is mandatory to fill in the information about beds on the dashboard of Pune Division every day.
- Covid Hospital should make a written request to the wholesaler or C&F agent along with their hospital government recognized certificate and their attached medical store license.
- When requesting Remdesivir injections, consider the number of patients in the hospital and the number of patients who really need Remdesivir. The Covid Clinical Management Proclamation of the Central Government and the State Government should be considered before registering the demand for these drugs.
- The drug should be supplied as per the demand of the concerned hospital after proper verification of the patient’s documents by the wholesaler or C&F agent and all related matters records to be saved.
- Remdesivir injections should not be supplied to retailers not affiliated with Covid Hospital.
- Information on Remdesivir injections sold daily by all wholesalers or C&F agents e.g. Information about the name of Covid Hospital, name of the affiliated medical store, bill number, date, total number of sales etc. should be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pune office daily.
- Hospitals that do not have attached medical stores on their premises should purchase Remdesivir injections themselves from wholesalers or C&F agents. Also, keep records of purchase and distribution of medicines as per the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and keep a register in which the initial stock of the day, name of the supplier, bill no., information on stocks purchased, name of drug, group number, date of drug supply, details of patients, injection supplied, name of doctor, price charged etc. should be kept up to date. The purchase, sale of injections, balance should be tallied.
- Hospitals should provide medicines to Covid patients on their own. Relatives of patients should not be asked to bring outside.
- Covid Hospital should charge the price of medicines to the patients at the government rate.
- If for some reason the full dose of Remdesivir injection is not given, the remaining stock should be returned to the hospital, medical stores and recorded.
- Careful attention should be paid to the staff working in Covid Hospital and care should be taken to ensure that no malpractice occurs in the hospital. Hospital management will be held accountable if any malpractice is found in the hospital.
These orders will come into effect from April 11, 2021. “Violation of this order is punishable under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Indian Epidemic Diseases Control Act 1897 as well as Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code 1860 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945”, the order states.
