Medicines may dry up at small pharmacies
Small retail medical shops may run out of medicines soon if the broken supply chain caused by the lockdown isn’t restored, says the president of the Indrabagh Medical Traders’ Association and treasurer of Hyderabad Drugs Association, Ch. Anand Kumar Goud.
However, Hyderabad police says they don’t have any restrictions on movement of vehicles transporting medicines.
Despite the assurance from government that all essential goods will be allowed to be transported without restriction, the staff haven’t been able to reach their workplaces. There are around 10,000 retail medical shops and 500 wholesale shops in the city alone. Most of the medicines coming from different states are dumped on the outskirts at carry and forward buildings (ware houses). They are then brought to city and distributed.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Goud said, “Medicine are very essential for patients suffering from long-term diseases like diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease. If they cannot access medicines, there are high chances of them suffering other complications. The rich are able to stock medicines. In this type of situation, it is poor patients who usually buy medicines every two days who will be affected the most.”
Explaining how the supply chain has been affected he said, “I send the stocks to different retail medical shops till Kondapur. The employees distributed the stock but while coming back they were stopped and beaten up by the police. The staff is now scared to attend duty.”
“During the meeting with Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar
on Wednesday, we urged him to allow the drug licence along with a picture attached to it as a pass. The commissioner had responded to our request in a positive way. Further, city police have asked to mail the request so that accordingly they will issue passes. We have also approached Mr Mahmood Ali, home minister, and other leaders and submitted out representation,” added Mr Goud.
When asked about the issue of passes, Mr Anjani Kumar, said, “We have exempted all medical employees. They can move around the city for supply of medicines without any restrictions. Strict action will be taken if they misuse this.”
However, the ground reality is totally different, Mr Goud said: “We have been making rounds from the commissioner’s office to Sultan Bazaar ACP’s office for passes. Our supply personnel who come from as far as Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts were stopped and beaten up by the police. Even on Thursday, after the meeting, we are continuing to face the same violence. All of them decided to not attend duty. It is going to adversely impact the supply chain of medicine distribution.”