Corona treatment: High cost no deterrent for government hospitals

Hyderabad: While there is an impression among the people that the government is doing nothing to take care of Covid patients, the reality is that the State-run hospitals are spending a handsome amount on treatment of every corona patient.

According to sources, costly anti-viral drugs approved by ICMR are being made available for treatment of Covid patients admitted to the State government hospitals.

Tocillizumab, Remdisivir and Favipiravir are being procured for this purpose. Already these drugs are being used in main Covid hospitals like Gandhi Hospital and Chest Hospital.

Also, with these new drugs getting the nod of the regulatory bodies, the State Health officials have stopped using antiviral medications like Lopinavir, Ritonavir etc (usually given for HIV patients), which they mostly depended on in the initial stages.

Presently, they are using Favipiravir, Dexamethasone, Methylprednisolone, Remdisivir, Tocillizumab etc in Gandhi, and Chest hospitals and even in some teaching hospitals in districts.

Health Minister Eatala Rajender said 81 per cent of positive patients are asymptomatic and recovering easily. Of the remaining 19 per cent, only five percent patients are turning critical and these patients require drugs like Remdisivir and Tocillizumab, which they have decided to make available in the State hospitals irrespective of the cost factor.

While Favipiravir is being used to treat patients who have no respite from symptoms, steroids are being used in moderate rate while drugs like Remdisivir are used when the patient's condition needs oxygen support in ICU. Tocillizumab is given to patient who is on ventilator.

Favipiravir cost ranges from Rs 50 to 100 per tablet and an infected patient requires upto 120 tablets or less than that during a two weeks period for recovery and this medication costs nearly Rs 8000 or more per patient.

Remdisivir costing Rs 4,500 per injection was reportedly sold for upto Rs 20,000 by middlemen until pharma companies were directed supply directly to hospitals and patient family members.

A patient needs six doses of this medicine and doctors in the State hospitals are also using this medication for treating patients with good results.

Tocillizumab single injection dose is being given to Covid patients on mechanical ventilation in Gandhi and this drug costs Rs 40,000. Some patients require a second dose and it is being given if needed.

In some districts, Collectors are coming forward to procure these important medicines from district funds much to the relief of doctors treating the Covid patients.

Similar thing happened in Nizamabad , where the district Collector procured Remdisivir and Tocillizumab drugs, upon request of doctors from the Government General Hospital, Nizamabad. A senior doctor said they used these drugs on critical patients and more than 90 percent of them recovered completely.

Nizamabad doctors felt Collectors coming forward to lend a helping hand in terms of procuring medicines on their own was a great gesture and other district Collectors could emulate them.