Fake messages, useless helplines: Mumbaikars face desperate times as search for remdesivir worsens

Amid the surge in cases the demand for remdesivir too has skyrocketed With severe shortages people are running from pillar to post or taking to social media with requests Their woes are compounded by fake messages that give wrong numbers and resourcesAcademician from Lower Parel Dinesh Singh told midday that his relative posted a request on Facebook for four vials of remdesivir for a 22yearold COVID patient at a Bhandup hospital ldquoThe situation is turning grim every day We need four vials of remdesivir but canrsquot find it anywhere This is a total failure of the government as the healthcare system has gone for a toss there are long queues everywhererdquo said SinghCharandeep Singh BarkildquoI have tried at least 130 helpline numbers but all the efforts turned futilerdquo Singh said claiming further ldquoBlack marketeers have a vital role in creating this situation They are exploiting people in needrdquoFlying to Punjab for drugCharandeep Singh Barki a Khar resident sent his son to Punjab to get six doses of remdesivir for his brotherinlaw ldquoMy brotherinlaw Maninderjit Singh had 50 per cent of his lungs impacted by COVID We admitted him to Sunrise hospital in Mira Road Our relatives in Ludhiana managed to procure six injections of the drug So I sent my son Anmol to fetch itrdquo Charandeep saidAnmol Singh BarkiAnmol said ldquoI took the morning flight to Chandigarh on April 19 and boarded the return flight at 630 pm on the same day My uncle recovered thankfully and will be discharged The six injections cost us Rs 15000rdquolsquoUsed alternative treatmentrsquoKalyan resident Manoj Shah had high pneumonia and COVID and was admitted to Star hospital in Bhiwandi His relative Sanjay Shah said ldquoMy uncle was critical I contacted many pharmacies dealers distributors but nothing worked On social media there are only fake messages about its availability I was calling 300400 people daily No one is confirming or verifying messages everyone is randomly sharing themrdquo Shah said that his uncle was cured with the help of other treatments and was discharged on MondayManoj Shahrsquos relatives could not find Remdesivir anywhere fortunately he recovered with the help of other treatmentsMahesh Amberkar has had to hunt for the injection for two of his relatives While his sister was discharged sometime back his brotherinlaw is currently in the ICU at a Nalasopara hospital Amberkar visited chemists in Parel and near KEM hospital but could not find remdesivir ldquoThe first mayor or VasaiVirar Rajeev Patil alias Nana helped me get a few vialsrdquo Amberkar added ldquoWe have administered six vials of remdesivir to my brotherinlaw but he is yet to recoverrdquo said AmberkarAvinash Kuse a friend of Amberkar also got a few vials at a higher price ldquoWe paid R10000 per vial in Mira Road and Mumbai for a friendrdquo Kuse saidlsquoPanicked at prescriptionrsquoImran Khanrsquos 68yearold father has been admitted to Kalsekar hospital in Versova ldquoWhen the doctors prescribed remdesivir for my father on Monday I panicked My elder brother somehow managed to get two vials inrdquo Khan saidSatish Tiwari of Kalsekar Hospital Medical and General Stores shows a Remdesivir pack PicSatej ShindeldquoWe called friends in Bhiwandi who said only the government can help us So we called the BMC and FDA but none of the officials could help My father needed one vial per day we could not arrange a vial for the third day so there was a gap of one day On Thursday Kalsekar hospital said they can arrange two more vials so we got it from their chemistrdquoCalls and messages to newly appointed FDA commissioner Parimal Singh went unansweredRs 2700Discounted price paid by Aejaz Khan per vial at Kalsekar hospitalrsquos pharmacylsquoWe are flooded with enquiries but have to prioritise hospital patients firstrsquoSatish Tiwari of Kalsekar Hospital Medical and General Stores at Yari Road Versova said that he has been flooded with calls ldquoWhile we are flooded with calls from relatives of patients our priority is to cater to those admitted to Kalsekar hospitalrdquo Tiwari saidldquoFour companies make remdesivir But their prices are not uniform So the government under the Drug Price Control Order DPCO has locked it at around R3000 We sell the medicine to needy patients at a further discount of 10 per centrdquo Tiwari saidJogeshwari resident Aejaz Khanrsquos 76yearold father is admitted to Kalsekar hospital and the doctors had prescribed six vials of remdesivir Aejaz managed to get only two vials from Tiwari ldquoEven governmentapproved helplines are of no help While many were not reachable those who responded said they will get back to us if it becomes available What is the use of such helpline numbersrdquo said AejazldquoI went to a south Mumbai hospital took a token and waited in the queue for half a day But by the time my turn came the stock was overrdquo Aejaz said ldquoThen Kalsekar hospital said they had received a fresh stock so we got two vials at R2700 per vial from the hospitalrsquos pharmacyrdquo he addedWhat BMC saysMunicipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said ldquoWe have our stocks updated in realtime on a Google sheet shared with each and every civic hospital Outside the BMCrsquos jurisdiction the FDA has to check for pilferage BMC can only supply the medicine to civic hospitals We currently have a sufficient stock of 2 lakh vialsrdquo