THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 RELATED LUNG COMPLICATIONS ON THE INDIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

COVID-19 has been spreading across the world, causing a major global crisis. Each successive wave of the pandemic is more dangerous than the previous one. The virus is constantly mutating. The Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants have been flagged as variants of concern. The Delta variant is especially prominent in India which has higher transmissibility. Several drugs and medicines need to be administered to severely ill patients. Adding to the problem, there have been several instances of black-marketing of drugs such as Remdesivir as they are in short supply but in huge demand. Furthermore, India is even facing an oxygen crisis where there is also a supply-demand mismatch. Many have died due to shortages of oxygen. This virus has had a massive impact on the Indian healthcare system. It may be counterintuitive but despite the huge rise in COVID-19 patients, hospitals, like nearly all other sectors, have faced big economic problems due to this virus. This virus has caused major humanitarian and economic problems. The only solutions the world has include hand-washing, wearing masks, social distancing, and vaccinations. People need to be prudent and follow these measures to reduce the impact of this pandemic and return to normalcy as fast as possible.