After High Court rap, Chandigarh Administration to withdraw order

Supply of Covid drugs through private distributors

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 30

Rapped by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Chandigarh Administration today undertook to withdraw a controversial order on supplying essential Covid management drugs through private distributors/chemists.

As the Covid management case came up for hearing, the Bench of Justice Rajan Gupta and Justice Karamjit Singh questioned UT senior standing counsel Pankaj Jain as to why third party had to come in between.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Gupta asserted: “Anybody will raise eyebrows after seeing this and you as Union Territory are doing this.”

Jain, in response, submitted that 5,000 injections were allocated by the Government of India, while 4,000 were received. Just 450 injections were given to be supplied to the private hospitals by making sure it was against prescription.

Jain added: “A policy decision has been taken to supply the essential drugs such as remdesivir and tocilizumab directly to the government and private hospitals and not through the private distributors/chemists.”

The order issued by the UT had stated that three stockists would be supplied remdesivir in a phased manner as per the requirement for ensuring its availability to Covid-19 patients admitted to private hospitals in Chandigarh. The stockists include Kumar & Company, Guru Nanak Medicos Pvt Ltd and Gupta Agencies.

Referring to the healthcare facilities in the city, Justice Gupta asserted that beds meant for critical patients had been occupied by non-critical patients.

Suggesting segregation of the patients on the basis of their conditions, Justice Gupta said the critical patients could be admitted to the PGI while “moderate cases” could be taken care of by the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32. The mild cases could be handled by Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16.

Justice Gupta also made it clear that the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generators were required to be installed by other states as well on the UT pattern.

On the issue of hoarding, Justice Gupta made it clear to Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain that punitive action was required to be taken in case of truth in the allegations. “You have agencies. Use your jurisdiction to find out what was happening.”

“As regards the issue of hoarding of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators and essential medicines such as remdesivir and tocilizumab, needless to observe that the respective investigating agencies of all three states

in their own jurisdiction, even Central agencies, are at liberty to take cognisance and initiate action,” the Bench added.