A textile trader from Mumbai who started disseminating information about the availability of Covid-19 drugs to residents of Thane has also turned into the go-to person for many in Kolkata, 2026.5km away. Every day, Deep Shah receives hundreds of calls, many of them from Kolkata, seeking help to procure medicines for Covid patients.
His own helplessness in not being able to get a Covid medicine for his friend’s aunt inspired Shah to look out for others. “I did not know any chemist or druggist. Doctors had prescribed Remdesivir and it wasn’t available in any pharmacy,” Shah said. While visiting the hospital where the friend’s aunt was being treated, Shah came in touch with a few stockists and distributors, apart from some doctors, who were ready to help those in need. “I composed a message on Whatsapp and urged people to contact me if they were looking for medicines.”
In a few days, he started receiving calls from strangers in Thane, asking for numbers and addresses of medicine distributors. Soon, he started getting SOSes from Mumbai and subsequently, districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Source: Times of India
