Hyderabad: The sudden increase in Coronavirus cases has led to an acute shortage of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, and other medical facilities. Reports of Covid patients struggling to find beds, life-saving drugs or oxygen cylinders, are coming from all over India. In some cities, there is a long waiting list at the crematoriums and burial grounds as the number of dead has risen alarmingly. In the meantime, black marketeers are cashing in on this precarious situation.
Black marketing for drugs and vaccines
Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19. Several states across the country have asked for more supplies amid the record surge in COVID-19 infections.
India also exported close to 11 lakh injections of Remdesivir to over 100 countries over the past 6 months.
Seven Indian companies - Mylan, Hetero, Jubilant Life Sciences, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Zydus Cadila and Sun Pharma - produce Remdesivir injections under licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences.
Also read: GOIs intervention leads to a reduction in Remdesivir injection prices
India has banned exports, but manufacturers are still struggling to meet the demand.
Taking advantage of the shortage, some people have been selling the medication at high prices on the black market.
According to news reports, each dose of Remdesivir costs around Rs 10,000 on the black market.
Amid COVID-19 upsurge across the country, the Police arrested 6 people in Chandigarh and 3 in Indore over black marketing of Remdesivir drug.
Additionally, many persons, including hospital staff and medical shop owners, have been arrested over the last few days for selling Remdesivir injections at a much higher cost than its maximum retail price (MRP).
Lack of Oxygen Cylinders, Beds, X-rays and Covid test facilities in hospitals
The demand for medical oxygen increased in several Indian states. Several hospitals are turning patients away because they lack supplies.
COVID-19 patients in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh continued to struggle to find beds in hospitals. At Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital, there are no ICU beds with ventilators available in the hospital although beds are available in the common ward.
The public health care system in Gujarat seems to have collapsed as evident from the lack of basic facilities like availability of oxygen, ventilators, and even beds in govt hospitals.
Meanwhile, the situation continues to be grim across the country and is particularly bad in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Another major problem patients are facing in smaller towns is that private labs are refusing to conduct chest X-rays and CT scans.
