No response to Maha global tender for O2, Remdesivir
MUMBAI: Three days after the Maharashtra government floated a global tender to purchase liquid medical oxygen, Remdesivir injections and other essential items, it has not got any response from any company. Food and drugs administration (FDA) minister Rajendra Shingne said the state will again float the tenders, although the shortage is not as acute as before.
The list of items to be purchased include 25,000 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, 40,000 oxygen concentrators, 27 oxygen ISO tanks, a million Remdesivir vials and 132 pressure swing absorption plants. The tender was floated on Tuesday on the recommendation of a three-member committee. Officials said the three-day deadline was issued as the state needs to immediately procure these items.
“No company has shown any interest in supplying so far... Global tenders usually take time. As there is no response yet, the state government is thinking about issuing a fresh tender,” said Shingne.
Shingne also said there is still shortage of Remdesivir injections. He said the Centre did not provide 170,000 vials of the drug which were due to come to Maharashtra till April 30, as per the schedule made by the Centre.
According to the minister, the lockdown has so far only decelerated the growth in Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, while the rest of Maharashtra still continues to report over 60,000 cases. So, the need for Remdesivir is significant. The state needs 6,5000 vials a day. “We have around 670,000 active cases so even today, we need around 65,000-70,000 injections daily. Barring Mumbai and its suburban areas, there is no sign of decline in daily cases in the rest of Maharashtra despite the lockdown. We will still need more Remdesivir. Between April 21 and April 30, the Centre has given 170,000 fewer injections. That backlog needs to be cleared and daily 65,000-70,000 shots should be provided.”
‘GIVE 45-DAY TIME BEFORE EXAMS’
A group of postgraduate medical students approached state health minister Rajesh Tope and asked for at least a 45-day period to prepare for their exams.
“We’ve been working nonstop for some months now, left with no time to prepare for the exams. We hope the state government considers this before scheduling our final exams,” said the letter addressed to Tope.