Govt app ensures drugs to Covid-19, black fungus patients in AP

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has come up with a software application called ‘MDAP’ to ensure hassle-free and timely supply of Covid-19 and black fungus drugs to the needy patients at both government and private hospitals. The decision is taken given difficulty in accessing the drugs and to prevent irregularities like overcharging, diversion to black market.

The app enables putting up requests for Covid-19 and black fungus cure injections like remdesivir, tocilizumab, Amphotericin-B and others by the notified government and private hospitals for Covid-19 and black fungus treatment. There are 17 government hospitals and 25 private hospitals notified for black fungus treatment and over 500 government and private hospitals for Covid-19 cure in the state.

However, as the cases of black fungus are rising there is a huge shortage for drugs and injections such as liposomal amphotericin-b and posaconazole 300 mg and posaconazole oral suspension. The hospitals have to place an indent for supply of required number of vials along with details of patients on the app. The Joint Collector (Development) heading the district-level panel comprising superintendents of teaching hospitals, district medical and health officer, district coordinator for health services and assistant director (drugs), will clear them after verification. Thereupon, injections will be issued from the central drugs store concerned without any delay. Any paper work requiring signatures of the panel members will be done post approval.

The app facilitates online payment for vials by the private hospitals so that once payment is made, the hospitals can get the supply from the central drug stores. The state government fixed the price for the vials. All notified private hospitals have to administer black fungus vials to the infected patients free of cost as it is covered under Aarogyasri scheme. In the case of some private hospitals procuring such vials on their own, they are supposed to charge the patients at government fixed price and that amount will be reimbursed to them by the government under Aarogyasri scheme.

The state nodal officer for ‘104’ and Covid-19 services, Ahmad Babu, said, “We have launched the app ‘MDAP’ recently and it is of immense help to both government and private hospitals to place indents for Covid-19 and black fungus drugs online and procure them in no time to provide timely treatment to the infected patients in the state. We plan to include consumables like PPE kits also in the app to supply to the needy.”

AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation will supply medicines to the notified government and private hospitals as per indent placed in the MDAP.

So far, the app has helped the health authorities supply 36,788 vials of remdesivir, 5,495 vials of liposomal amphotericin B and 2,637 vials of posaconazol and other drugs to the hospitals in the state in the last few days.