KOCHI: Aravindan (name changed), a patient in Thrissur who underwent kidney transplant surgery at a private hospital here recently, has been contacting the hospital authorities daily for the past one week to get his medicine delivered. The medicine prescribed by the doctor is not available in the shops in the district. As courier services have been disrupted, the hospital is unable to deliver the medicine. “I contacted the Drugs Control Department and was told to contact the drug inspector here. The prescribed medicine is not available here. I don’t know what to do,” he said.
“I have been contacting pharmaceutical agencies to get a particular medicine delivered for my friend’s mother, a neuro psychiatric patient. It is not available in Kochi. If we stop the medication, her condition will worsen,” said V N Sunil Kumar, an advocate in Kochi. Relatives of critically-ill patients in the state have been running from pillar to post as many lifesaving medicines have run out of stock due to the lockdown. Patients suffering from cardiac problems, psychiatry problems, diabetes are the worst affected.
Though medicines are available at the pharmacy, hospitals are unable to deliver it as courier services have been suspended. Considering the gravity of the issue, the Drugs Control Department has prepared a list of medicines and is trying to deliver it to all districts with the help of around 15 pharma companies. “We receive around 20 to 30 calls every day seeking help to get medicines.
Today I received around 60 calls. Patients under the treatment of spec i a l i t y doctors are h i t t h e worst. We are trying to get some of the medicines delivered in all districts and guide the patients to stores where the particular medicine is available,” state drugs controller Ravi S Menon told TNIE.