‘Searching for life-saving drugs at night is a torture’

LUCKNOW : If Covid patients need medicines at odd hours in case of an emergency, they are at God’s mercy.

Almost all medical stores are pulling down their shutters by 10pm, including those in front of KGMU, Balrampur Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Gomti Nagar, said citizens. As a result, many families are having a harrowing experience while searching for lifesaving drugs in the state capital during late night hours.

Vikas Thakur, 48, a resident of 645A/1276, Saraswatipuram, Jankipuram, reported breathing trouble on Monday around 4pm. His oxygen level was hovering between 88 and 92.

The family booked an online consultation with a doctor. By the time Vikas’ turn came and the family received doctor’s prescription suggesting immediate hospitalisation, it was 9pm. Thereafter, Vikas’ wife, Kavita Singh, daughter Muskan, 22, and family friends began a frantic search for medicines prescribed by the doctor.

These life-saving drugs were the only hope for the family as arranging an oxygen cylinder was next to impossible.

“All medical stores in front of KGMU, Balrampur Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital) were closed. Not a single one was open. We managed to get only three medicines from a local medical store. We could not get a single life-saving drug prescribed by the doctor, including Medrol 16mg and Fabiflu,” said Kavita Singh.

All of us returned with no option but to pray and wait for the morning, she added.

At 9am on Tuesday, a family friend queued outside Sachdeva Medical Store at IT Crossing. It was around 11am that he was able to get all medicines barring an injection.

“From IT Crossing to Jankipuram, we tried to reach home by a two-wheeler. After around 15 hours of doctors’ consultation we were able to give medicines to Vikas,” said Ravi Kumar, Vikas’ friend.

But the search for medicines did not end here. Injection Medrol 40mg was yet to be procured. “This is an important injection advised by the doctor for infection in the chest. From Jankipuram to IT Crossing it was not available in any other medical store,” said Kavita.

Finally at 3pm, the family managed to get the injection from the medicine market, Aminabad.

After oxygen cylinders, getting emergency drugs is also proving to be an ordeal for family members of Covid patients, said kin of Vikas.

“No one wants to take a risk. No medical store owner is willing to keep the store open through the night. Generally, by mutual consensus medical stores operate turn-wise during night outside KGMU, Balrampur Hospital and RML hospital,” said a medical store owner near Balrampur hospital.

The fear of the pandemic is such that no one is willing to keep his medical store open during night hours, he added. Experts suggest that some medical stores all across the city must be kept open through the night on rotation basis so that patients can get emergency drugs even at odd hours.