Will India face syringe crisis? Amid Omicron surge, this factory shutdown order can derail vaccination programme – Details inside

As Omicron scare grips the nations one after the other and India speeds up its vaccination programme on experts finding it only way to reduce severity of the condition, Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD) concerned about the shortage of needles and syringe in near future has urged the PM to revoke suspension order on production.

The Delhi state pollution control board has shuttered the factories of India’s largest syringe and needle manufacturer on the outskirts of the national capital of India to curb heavy pollution in the region creating an acute shortage of the most essential medical equipment for vaccination and other medical procedures.

Rajiv Nath, managing director of HMD in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the closure of needles and syringe manufacturing factories will create disruption in the supply chain, reported Reuters. In the letter he further pointed out that the suspension of production will impact healthcare delivery across the country in general and Covid vaccination programme in particular. He requested the PM to permit factories to operate under the National Disaster Management Act. Nath, added that syringe supplies were already running short in India and in global markets.

Almost 60 per cent of the needles and syringe that India produces is manufactured by HMD for vaccination or curative healthcare. The MD assured Modi that factories will not use our diesel generator sets and have fully equipped plants with renewable energy sources.

The directive to suspend productions was issued to more than 228 factories in the region by Haryana Pollution Control Board as part of drive to combat pollution and improve air quality that have consistently been in ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ category. The government intensified various dust-control steps such as using fire trucks to spray water. Schools and colleges were ordered to remain shut.