Telangana Health Minister Etala Rajender today slammed the BJP-led Centre for allocating a "low number" of Remdesivir injections, used to treat Covid-19 patients, to the state.
Expressing his displeasure at the allotment, the minister said, "I don't understand on what basis the union government has decided to allot only 21,551 injections of Remdesivir to Telangana. The decision is especially surprising as our government had previously spoken to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan about the shortage of the drug, and he had told us that he would look into the issue. I would like to make our disappointment with the Centre's decision clear again. I will also write a letter to Dr Harsh Vardhan again. The state's requirement for Remdesivir needs to be prioritised. This is only fair as manufacturers of the drug are located here."
"It is unfortunate that the Centre is controlling the distribution of such a critical medical supply in the same manner as it had controlled Covid-19 vaccines. It is extremely important that states be given all the support they need at this point because the medical sector of each state is trying its best to fight the ongoing pandemic. In Telangana too, doctors are treating not only local patients but also those from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. I would urge the union government to sanction the release of the Remdesivir injections produced in Telangana to the state at the earliest, therefore," he added.
Rajender also spoke about the oxygen requirements of the state, and said that it currently needed 384 tonnes of oxygen daily but were only getting 260 to 270 tonnes every day.
"The Modi government should take responsibility if the state faces any kind of oxygen shortage. It must intervene when there are problems in supply. In our state, although 30 tonnes of oxygen from Tamil Nadu has been allocated for us, but the state administration has not shown any willingness to supply the same," he fumed.
However, the minister was also quick to reassure people that Telangana had adequate supplies of oxygen, beds, medicines, doctors, health staff and other treatment infrastructure in all its hospitals for the time being.
He then went on to highlight the need for the public to cooperate with the TRS government to follow all the safety protocols and asked them to keep themselves safe.
Rajender's rebuke comes at a time when Telangana has been facing an acute and potentially devastating
shortage of Remdesivir injections.