CHENNAI : A room adjacent to the Superintendent’s Office of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (TMCH) is buzzing with activity. Some 300 medical students and a group of doctors are working round-the-clock sorting medicines, packing them in boxes and dispatching them to various relief camps.
“It was on Friday (August 17) that doctors, pharmacists and students came together to collect medicines. So far, we have dispatched 218 boxes to camps at Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam,” said Dr Nibin Nahaz, coordinator of the Flood Relief Camp at TMCH. “Each box contains medicines meant for 250 people belonging to various age groups.”
Said TMCH Superintendent MS Sharmad: “The boxes not only consists of medicines meant to prevent flood-related diseases but also essential drugs for diabetics, blood pressure, heart-related ailments and others.”Sharmad said medicines worth Rs 30 lakh have been sent in the past five days. The only difficulty they faced was inadequate transportation facilities.
TMCH Principal Dr Thomas Mathew said they responded because of the requests by various District Medical Officers and District Programme Managers.Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the department has been asked to ensure a steady supply of medicines in the flood-affected areas. For that the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited has been entrusted with the responsibility. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan said that those who wish to donate medicines can hand it over at the drug delivery spots or at kiosks set up at taluk headquarters hospital or district hospitals. Contact nos: 8281469822 or 0471 2528255.