City NGO launches medicine bank for poor Covid patients

Nagpur: Rahul Mahatre (name changed), a slum dweller from Gittikhadan area, tested Covid positive on Tuesday. A daily wager, Mahatre, wife and two children, were staring into an abyss of helplessness as they tried to arrange for medicines. “Already there is no work, and the meagre savings are used for meals. Testing Covid positive only added to my worries given the high cost of medicines,” he said.At this crucial juncture, Nagpur Citizens Forum (NCF) – a city-based NGO – came to his aid and provided Mahatre the medicines prescribed by the doctor, free of cost.
NCF has come to the aid of poor Covid patients hit hard by the pandemic, by setting up a medicine bank and providing free medicines. NCF’s medicine bank was officially launched on Wednesday.
The project aims to reach out to poor patients in the city, especially slums, who cannot afford costly Covid medicines. The drugs are procured with the help of donations and individual sponsors, who are encouraged to contribute medicines rather than cash, said group member Abhijit Jha.
The entire 14-day course of medicines for a Covid-19 patient costs around Rs2,500. “Due to financial difficulties and poor conditions, many people avoid taking expensive drugs,” he said.
The forum members conducted a small survey on this in various neighbourhoods of the city. The survey involved relatives of positive people, medical store owners, and some doctors. The survey found that the health of many patients was deteriorating as they could not take the anti-viral drug Favipiravir, causing the patient’s health to deteriorate. That is why NCF took up the issue and started working without relying on the administration, said Jha.
The initiative was launched by distributing medicine kits to five beneficiary families. Pratik Bairagi, Abhijeet Singh Chandel, Abhijeet Jha, Gajendrasingh Lohia, Amit Bandurkar and Vaibhav Shinde Patil were present.
In the first phase, medicines worth Rs1 lakh will be distributed. A medicine kit has been prepared for this, which includes a 14-day dose of Favipiravir, paracetamol, Ivermectin, Limcee, Azithromycin, Zinc, D3 Risk, Alex Cough Syrup, masks and sanitizer.
Bairagi, a member of NCF and head of the drug donation drive, accused Nagpur Municipal Corporation of failing to provide free medicines to patients. Many patients are reluctant to buy drugs because they are expensive, he said.
Two days ago, NCF had appealed to donors in the city for help. Many philanthropists responded positively. Abhijeet Singh Chandel, head of the campaign, said that some of them contributed to the project in the form of medicines and some in the form of financial assistance.
NCF has appealed to poor and needy patients in the city to contact Bairagi on 7720076560 and Abhijeet Singh Chandel on 9730015177 to avail benefits of this initiative. Beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of Covid positive report, Aadhaar card and doctor’s prescription at the testing centre of Nagpur Municipal Corporation. The kits will be handed over to their relatives.