New Delhi: 30 year old Kidney Transplant patient of Jhansi, Pappi Choudhry is despairing. His immunosuppressant medicines Mofiled and Vingraf will last only two days. Where would he get them from? The question is agonising him because they are not available in Jhansi and he cannot go anywhere because of COVID lockdown. He is frantically calling Ganga Ram Hospital.
Pappi cannot miss even a single dose because missing will harm his transplanted kidney. So, his kidney is facing impending danger. Saransh Mahajan, kidney transplant patient of Udhampur and many more transplant patients in Jammu &Kashmir are on the verge of same perilous prospects. Liver and heart transplant and HIV patients are in the same boat.
Ubiquitous COVID concern and consequent lockdown is hampering essential treatments of high risk patients in Delhi and elsewhere in the country. Acute shortage and non availability of immune suppressant drugs and other live saving medicines is bound to imperil lives of transplant, cancer, HIV and other high risk patients under treatment. They are giving anxious calls to their hospitals and doctors.
There is extreme shortage of Immuno Suppressant Drugs and Life saving medicines needed for Transplant, Cancer and other critically ill patients in India’s far flung areas and Delhi NCR.
The situation can be gauged from the fact that Dr D S Rana, Chairman, Nephrology & Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has to issue fervent SOS appeal to govt authorities to facilitate medicines to them.
SGRH is getting desperate calls of patients about non-availability of life saving medicines. Hospital is arranging transport and other means to send medicines in Delhi NCR but is helpless in far flung areas like Assam, Bihar, North East etc.
Dr Rana says, ‘Due to their co-morbid conditions, these patients are also in high risk group for catching Covid-19. Please highlight in the interest of these patients. Sir Gange Ram Hospital is helping transplant patients of Delhi NCR with medicines but finds unable to cater to patients in far flung areas.’
Sugreev Ahuja of Modinagar got his immunosuppressant drugs from Ganga Ram only today. In Modinagar it was not available. Vishal Sharma from Aligarh also collected his medicine from the hospital.
HIV patients of far flung areas are also imperilled due to lockdown and non availability of medicines in their areas. Dr Ruby Bansal, renowned HIV physician in Yashoda hospital in Ghaziabad (Kaushambi) said, ‘ HIV patients in other parts must be facing scarcity of medicines but Delhi NCR Patients are getting them because NACO is helping. I am managing my patients with online consultation. I am having my reserve and I am in touch of my patients and continuously trying to help them. They are coming one by one to Yashoda to collect medicines. Our AIDS Society of India had dialogue with NACO to provide medicines from ART Centre. They are providing stock of medicines stock for 2 months.
