Patients’ kin face agonising test of patience for injections
: It took Rahul two days to get a letter from the additional commissioner (administration) permitting 18 doses of the amphotericin B injection for his relative admitted to Chandan hospital in Lucknow for the treatment of black fungus (mucormycosis).
Till now, the state has reported 598 cases of black fungus, including over 200 in Lucknow, and there have been 19 deaths across Uttar Pradesh.
Having received the letter on May 22, Rahul thought he would get the vials, possibly that day itself. His hope did not bear fruit.
Despite having the letter, Rahul has been waiting outside the Red Cross office in Qaiserbagh here for two days to get the injection. He had nothing to show for his effort even on Monday.
“It took two days to get the letter from authorities. Now, it is even tougher to actually get the injections at the Red Cross office, while my relative remains in a serious condition,” said Rahul, resident of Gorakhpur’s Chauri Chaura. He was among several other attendants waiting on the Red Cross office campus near the Qaiserbagh bus station here on Monday.
Patients admitted to government-run medical colleges and
government hospitals get the injection from there (medical colleges and government hospitals) but those admitted at private hospitals need to take injection from Red Cross. The attendants outside the Red Cross office were those who had their relatives admitted to private hospitals. When asked about the situation, Lucknow divisional commissioner Ranjan Kumar said, “We are continuously distributing the injection/medicine for black fungus. The stock is coming and the committee formed to screen the need approves the application for distribution. The supply is coming.” The Red Cross that is supposed to distribute amphotericin B to patients admitted to private hospitals in districts under Lucknow division has received applications from 70 attendants who have their relatives admitted at private hospitals in the state capital and the districts nearby such as Gonda, Kanpur, Unnao, Hardoi, Rae Bareli and Sitapur. Those admitted at government medical colleges/hospitals are provided this injection by medical colleges/hospitals only.
“It seems the authorities have evolved this paperwork just to buy time. They do not have the injections and the paperwork took two days that I fear might go in vain,” said another attendant standing at Red Cross office campus, who did not wish to be named. “There had been 40 applications for a three-day dose (18 doses @ 6 per day) that required 720 injection vials. But only 90 have come since Red Cross was entrusted the task of distributing the injection on May 20,” said Indian Red Cross Society (Lucknow) chairman Om Prakash Pathak. “We gave only one-day dose, that is six injections, to 15 attendants/ applicants by Sunday, and no fresh stock has come on Monday,” he said.
Patients admitted to private hospitals can purchase the injection from medical stores, but there are hardly any injections with the medical stores in and outside Lucknow. According to an order issued by additional chief secretary (medical health and family welfare) Amit Mohan Prasad on May 19, the Red Cross has been entrusted the task of distributing amphotericin B injection for black fungus patients admitted to private hospitals, after approval from the committee. In view of the shortage of these injections, the health department had started an arrangement that medical colleges will get a separate stock. Patients admitted at private hospitals will be provided the doses via open market or through the Red Cross society in four divisions of Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut.