Maharashtra govt floats global tender to procure Remdesivir, oxygen

The state is among the worst-hit in the second wave of the pandemic

The Maharashtra government has floated a global tender to procure 1 million Remdesivir vials, 40,000 oxygen concentrators and 25,000 metric tonnes of oxygen in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday.

Bidders have been given three days to quote their prices for the supply of these items, he told reporters here.

"A global tender has been floated for 1 million Remdesivir vials, 40,000 oxygen concentrators, 132 PSA (pressure swing absorption) plants for oxygen, 25,000 MT of liquid medical oxygen and 27 oxygen ISO tanks for storing the life-saving gas as buffer stock for emergency use," he said.

All powers have been delegated to a three-member committee for the procurement of these quoted items, he said.

The government has given three days to the bidders to quote their prices.

"You can also call it an expression of interest, where we will come to know about the expectations of suppliers," the minister said.

Maharashtra is facing shortage of the liquid medical oxygen and Remdesivir injections are in high demand for treating COVID-19 patients amid the surge in cases of the viral infection.

On Monday, the state reported 48,700 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count of infections to 43,43,727, while 524 deaths pushed the toll to 65,284, as per official figures.