HYDERABAD: People with chronic and terminal illnesses who require constant medication, including kidney patients who need dialysis, are not able to access CAPD and dialysis medication as medical supplies distributors and delivery persons have refused to venture out fearing police brutality.
These dialysis medications are not available at everyday pharmacies and only a select few are allowed to sell them, which are incredibly expensive and have to be delivered with utmost care, multiple times a month. The patient’s families rue that skipping dialysis may prove fatal to quite a lot of elderly people.
Speaking to Express, a source from Baxter Pharmaceuticals, the firm that manufactures CAPD, said, “Most of our distributors and delivery persons have decided not to do home deliveries any more, as they are being beaten up by the police personnel. We understand the importance, but our distributors are helpless”. The company also delivers to peritoneal dialysis patients in Andhra Pradesh as well, the delivery of which has been affected due to the State lockdown.
One of the patient’s son, on condition of anonymity, told Express, “Peritoneal dialysis for chronic kidney disorder patients requires specialised fluid which comes in sterilised plastic bags for conducting dialysis at home. My father requires dialysis three times a day and requires three bags. That amounts to 90 bags a month. If this dialysis is not done even for a day, it will take a serious toll on his health.
The executive of Baxter company, which manufactures the specialised fluid, informed us that the major distributor of the bags, Banafar Pharma, cannot deliver it to our homes and we will have to collect it from their office at Banjara Hills. Where will we get a vehicle to transport 90 bags, which will come in 15 boxes (each box six bags) during curfew? The government should give permission to Banafar Pharma to deliver the bags.”
Incidentally, the police personnel have been misleading people that Section 144 has been imposed in the city. One of the distributors for Banafar Pharmaceuticals sent all their customers a message that read, "This is to inform all that due to Section 144 our distributors are not able deliver stocks at your door steps. And you have to come to distributor point (banafar pharma road no 3 banjarahills) due to non availability of local transport, because of current situation distributors are not able to deliver bags at ur doorstep pls call me if any support required Thank u (sic)."