Families grapple as India’s health bodies change COVID guidelines

Health ministry last month dropped several popular drugs from its clinical protocol, sparking debate and confusion.

New Delhi, India – Late last month, the Indian government made far-reaching changes to the COVID-19 treatment protocol for hospitals, leading to much debate and confusion after drugs people knew almost by rote were dropped. For months, I had read and reread my family’s prescriptions, remembering what to administer to whom, goading the local pharmacies to send it fast. Like thousands of others, I had also read hundreds of social media pleas for these drugs. So why did the government drop them? As I Googled and searched, I also remembered that ivermectin, one of the drugs now dropped and under much scrutiny, was first prescribed to me by my dermatologist in July last year.