As wholesale stores remain sealed, pharmacies in Dimapur feel the pinch

Our Reporter
Dimapur, April 23 (EMN): Some pharmacies in Dimapur are facing shortage of medicines, due to the nationwide lockdown as well as the sealing of the ‘main medical wholesale area’ as part of containment measure in Dimapur.

According to the owner of VEE pharmacy, Gupta, it has ‘become very difficult to purchase medicine from the wholesale medical shop’ as only a few are open—including those located at the Church Road.

On Thursday morning, he had shortlisted 79 different medicines to purchase but was able to get only five.  

He added that the main medicine wholesale stores are located at Murgi Patti area and since it has been closed down, the other few stores in the town area were not enough to cater to all the pharmacies.

He said that if the closure of Murgi Patti area continues for ‘another 10 days’, it will be very difficult to get medicine.

Ranjit Kumar, who also runs a medical store, said that he is finding it difficult to purchase medicines ‘due to transportation problem’. According to him, he opens his store for just two or three hours in a day, currently.

Another medical storeowner, Shivam, said that there is a shortage of ‘baby food’ in the market. He added that there could be shortage of all medicines if the current situation continues. There has to be an alternative solution to open more medical wholesale stores in the market, he said.

A medical storeowner manager said that by Monday or Tuesday (next week), ‘baby food’ might be available at the wholesale market.

He also said that the sealing of Murgi Patti area, where all the major medical wholesale stores are located, has affected the chain of distribution.

According to him, three arthritis patients used to buy hydroxychloroquine from his shop daily. But since the government has stopped its supply, the patients have been forced to use ‘alternative combination of medicine for relief’ instead of the prescribed medication.

For any pharmacy, purchase of medicines are made from different medical wholesalers since all the required items are not available in one wholesalers shop, and by opening only a few medical wholesale stores it is very difficult to get the required medicines, he said.

VP Shahu, owner of LP Pharmacy in Mon town, informed that there is no shortage of medicine at the moment, and the items are available at the wholesale market.

Wokha pharmacies run short of life-saving drugs

Our Correspondent
Wokha, April 23 (EMN): Pharmacies in Wokha district are running out of life-saving drugs due to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

It was informed that prior to the lockdown, medical dealers in the district could procure 80-90% of their orders. But currently, they are able to get only 15-20% of their bulk order.

Officials of the Wokha unit of All Nagaland Medical Dealers’ Association said that there is a shortage of life-saving drugs in the district because of ‘inconveniences’ caused by the lockdown as well as inability of wholesale dealers in Dimapur to supply the required items.

Sufficient life-saving drugs in Mokokchung

Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, April 23 (EMN): There is sufficient life-saving drugs in stock, except for shortage of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine, which is said to be in huge demand because of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Lipoktsungba Aier, an executive member of the Mokokchung District Pharmacy Association on Thursday.

Medicine wholesale dealer in the Mokokchung, Eastern Pharma, also said it has sufficient stockpile of life-saving drugs.

Mokokchung has six wholesalers and more than 60 chemist retailers in the market, according to the association.   

Sufficient stock of medicine — Government

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 23 (EMN): There is sufficient stock of medicines in the state but because of ‘logistic problem’—due to lockdown measures and containment of wholesale area in Dimapur—the items are yet to reach the retailers, according to the secretary to the government of Nagaland, Kesonyu Yhome.

Reacting to the Eastern Mirror report published on April 22, and apprehension among the public regarding shortage of medicines including general medicines, the official maintained that logistic problem in the last few days has prevented the medicines from reaching the retail level.

According to him, the issue has been taken care of.