As the need for assistance for healthcare management mounts in Chennai and in the neighboring districts after the unusual week-long heavy rains, the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association (TN IDMA) has sprung into action with donations of lakhs of rupees worth medicines to the government’s relief agency.
“We have given only one category of essential drug. Further we are planning to give seven categories of drugs to the government relief agencies and independent relief teams. The total cost of the drugs already given to the relief team comes around Rs.50 lakhs. Our association is collecting medicines from all medical companies which would comprise all kinds of drugs. If any shortage of drug is reported by the authority, IDMA will procure the drug from our members of other states,” said the chairman of TN IDMA, J. Jayaseelan.
He said the state health secretary, Dr. J. Radhakrishnan is coordinating the distribution of drugs with the relief agencies and TN IDMA is giving all support to the government’s relief measures. IDMA’s members from all over India have voluntarily agreed to contribute all kinds of pharmaceutical and neutraceutical items to the rain hit Tamil Nadu, Jayaseelan informed Pharmabiz.
Meanwhile, the drugs control administration in Tamil Nadu (TN DCA) has vigorously started streamlining of medicine supplies to all the flood hit areas and ensuring the availability of all essential drugs in all the hospitals and community pharmacies.
The director of drugs control yesterday held a meeting of wholesalers and C&F agents and instructed them to stock as much quantity of drugs as possible in order to meet any situation.
M. Abdul Khader, the director of the DCA said, the department is foreseeing a possible shortage of essential medicines in Chennai in the near future due to the huge loss occurred to the stockists after rain water stagnated for days at the godowns. Huge quantities of medicines stored at the premises of the wholesalers were spoiled due to rain water.
He further said, his office has given instructions to all the C&F agents and wholesalers to procure medicines from other states and also from the manufacturing companies directly and stock them at their stores. All the assistant drugs control offices (ADCs) have been informed to report the CFAs if any drug is found out of stock. He said there is no need of panic as the state medical services corporation (TN MSCL) has stocked adequate quantity of drugs.
Khader said he is in touch with pharmaceutical manufacturers of Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana for collecting their contribution of drugs.