Donate Medicine

Antibiotics left over in the strip after completing the 7-day course, capsules that cannot be consumed after the doctor decided that a different drug regimen was in order, vitamin supplements that are thankfully not required any longer. All of us have surely, at some point in our lives, found ourselves with medicines that we may not have a use for in the near future. On the other side, we have heard of people avoiding going to a doctor, fearing that they would not be able to afford the medicines that may be prescribed. “Discharge taken against advice” is a common line in the discharge notes of patients finding it hard to cope with medical bills. Reaching the medicines that lie in our homes to those who need them is one of the simple ways of putting them to use and in the process, saves the recipients the money (which we have already spent when we bought the medicines ourselves). There are several hospitals, clinics and NGOs where people can donate their unused and unexpired medicines. [See list at the end of the article.] Affordability is one thing, but Covid-19 brought to the forefront, another aspect of medicines – shortages, that many of us were unaware of. There are different reasons why medicines could go “out of stock”. Unavailability of raw materials for the manufacturers, transportation issues due to which the medicines cannot reach the distributors and shops, profiteering by those looking to make a quick buck, hoarding by people who expect a need in the future, are some of them. During the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 in India, in April-May 2021, there was a surge in demand for certain medicines because of the huge number of affected people. The supply was just not meeting the demand. We often saw messages from patients’ relatives requesting for medicines that were not available in their local pharmacies. We heard of drugs being airlifted from one part of the country to another. Even basic vitamins were in short supply.