Public Medical Facilities in Tamil Nadu Face Shortages of Key Pre-Term Infant Drugs

Public medical facilities across Tamil Nadu are running low on surfactant drugs, which are vital life-saving medications needed to expand the lungs of infants born prematurely. This supply gap has lasted for the past few months, leading various Special Newborn Care Units to report the issue to the Health Department. Medical professionals note that surfactant is required to keep tiny air sacs open in babies whose lungs are not fully developed. These animal-derived drugs were part of bulk purchases handled by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation.

Affected Facilities and Causes

Medical college hospitals located in districts such as Theni, Dharmapuri, Tiruppur, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Karur, and Chennai have reported running out of medicine vials, while a few other centres reported steady availability. Doctors pointed out that three main issues caused this situation: a lack of proper product allocation, poor estimation of needed stock by certain units based on expected premature births, and a higher consumption rate than anticipated. To cope, some hospital units are borrowing from nearby sub-centres or buying vials using their own funds from private pharmacies.

Official Response

A senior pediatrician explained that babies born before 34 weeks often lack enough lung substance to keep air sacs open, risking conditions like hypoxia if oxygen levels drop. Meanwhile, a Health Department source rejected claims of an overall shortage, blaming the problem on poor local stock calculations or high usage at specific locations, and noted that affected units borrowed from neighbors. Officials also stated that a six-month purchase order valued at nearly nine crore rupees has been placed, local purchase funds are available for doctors, and the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation will deliver new stocks within two days, with extra supplies already sent from Coimbatore to Cuddalore.