Kerala gearing up to tackle the third wave; aims to locally manufacture drugs, PPE

The Kerala government is aiming to locally manufacturing the drugs and safety equipment needed for the state. Preliminary discussions in this regard were held today between the Health and Industry Departments.

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Kerala is gearing up to tackle the third wave of Covid-19. As part of this, the government is aiming to locally manufacturing the drugs and safety equipment needed for the state. Preliminary discussions in this regard were held today between the Health and Industry Departments.

Decisions made at the Ministerial meet

It has been decided to form a committee comprising the Principal Secretaries of the Department of Health and Industries and the Managing Directors of Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) and Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (KSDPL) for further action. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Industries Minister P Rajeev and Health Minister Veena George. The government aims to ensure the availability of safety equipment and medical equipment such as gloves, masks, and PPE kits during the third wave of Covid.

The government is of the opinion that, it would be a great achievement to be able to domestically manufacture the safety and medical equipment required for the health sector. During the second wave, we saw a shortage of many safety devices with many factories in other states being shut down due to COVID-19.

Increase in the production of the drugs

More of the necessary medicines could also be produced in the state. Only 10 per cent of the drugs required for the state are manufactured in Kerala. About 90 per cent is procured from other states by KMSCL. The cost can be reduced if the drugs can be produced through KSDPL. The Department of Industry has decided to start a Medical Equipment and Devices Park for the availability of medical equipment and devices.