Patna: Medical shops fall short of drugs, immunity boosters

PATNA: Many chemists and pharmacists in the city have claimed that they are facing acute shortage of key Covid-19 drugs and immunity boosters. Supplements like vitamin C and zinc tablets have also gone out of stock as a lot of people are resorting to panic buying.
The manager of a medical store in Rukanpura, Om Prakash Kumar, told this newspaper on Thursday that vitamin C and D as well as zinc tablets were in high demand.
“People usually think twice before buying costly medicines. These tablets, however, are cheap and available in the range of Rs 25 to Rs 100,” Om said and added that the sale of oximeters had also gone up considerably.
An employee of another medical shop in Phulwarisharif, Md Akram Khan, rued that immunity boosters were no more available at his store.
“Our old stocks were over as soon as people began indulging in panic buying. Some of them purchased 30-40 strips of medicines even if they did not need them urgently. The demand went so high that we had to stop selling the drugs,” Akram claimed.
Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association president P K Singh said, “It is mostly in the urban areas of Patna that people are stockpiling medicines which are required for treating the Covid-19 patients.”
He also urged people to look for natural ways of boosting their immunity. “Consume lemon water, fresh mangoes, oranges and other food items rich in vitamins instead of eating medicines without consulting health experts,” Singh said.
Many city residents accepted that they were “storing medicines for emergency purposes”.
Patna City resident Rita Sinha said, “Nobody knows when they will be infected by coronavirus. All we can do is be prepared for the worst by stocking up on the essential drugs and immunity boosters.”