The Times of India                29.05.2013 

PCMC to buy Tamiflu syrup from chemist

PUNE: Unable to get Tamiflu syrup used for treating children affected by swine flu from the state government, the health department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation ( PCMC) has decided to buy 300 bottles it from a private chemist.

The health department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has not been able to get a syrup which is given to children who are suspected to have been affected with swine flu. The corporation has therefore decided to purchase it from private chemists.

S B Gaikwad, PCMC's acting medical officerof health, said, the health department is not getting the syrup from the state government.

"We have proposed to purchase the syrup from a private hospital's chemist. We need a stock of these medicines. Adults, who are suspected to be suffering from H1N1, are given Tamiflu tablets while the children suspected to be suffering from H1N1 are prescribed the syrup," he said.The health department has sought the civic administration's permission for purchasing the syrup from a private chemist at a cost of Rs 1.31 lakh.

According to the health officials, the department will soon exhaust its stock. A health department official said the number of positive and suspected patients goes up during the are detected more in monsoon and winter, though the number remains less during summer. The number of patients who are given Tamiflu tablets or syrup varies every dayfrom day to day.

Since this January, as many as 3.83 lakh patients have been treated at the outpatient departments of the civic hospitals out of which 35,940 patients were suffering from influenza like illnesses. Tamiflu was given to a total of 5,293 patients, a health official said.