The country’s largest syringe and needle maker has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to overturn an order to halt production, which was part of a larger plant closure ordered by a state regulator to combat severe pollution in the region.
Following a mandate from a state environmental control body, Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD) has closed its plants on the outskirts of New Delhi, raising fears of an acute shortage of syringes and needles in India just as its COVID-19 immunisation campaign is in full gear.
‘The closure of needles and syringes manufacturing factories will create disruption in the supply chain’, said Rajiv Nath, managing director of HMD, in a letter to Modi’s office which was released to media.
‘This may impact healthcare delivery across the country in general and the COVID-19 vaccination programme in particular, resulting in major shortage and other related issues’, Nath said. According to him, the National Disaster Management Act requires authorities to allow factories to function.
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HMD, which supplies more than 60% of India’s needles and syringes for curative and immunisation purposes, said it will take appropriate precautions to guarantee that its factories do not pollute the region.
The government has been forced to take emergency steps due to the terrible air quality in India’s capital and its surrounding region. Schools and institutions were also forced to close as the government ramped up different dust-control measures, such as spraying water from fire vehicles.
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