How are patients faring amid the curfew?

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Nazmun Nahar's father has been suffering from kidney problems since last year. He has to take a combination of two medicines, including one for his neurological symptoms, in order to remain stable. In case he misses a dose, he has to be rushed to the hospital.

For the last two days, Nazmun, a resident of Dhaka's Arambagh, has been frantically searching for these medicines. In fact, the family began their search before the protests and the curfew began. "We looked at every pharmacy in our area and still haven't found a single strip [of the medicines]. We even gave some money in advance to one of the local pharmacies, but they could not source anything."

Without any Internet connection, they could not depend on any online pharmacy. "I thought of going all the way to Mirpur where there are many pharmacies, but without the metro rail, that seems difficult at the moment."

Asked what her family had decided to do in case of a health emergency, Nazmun said, "If there is an emergency, we will hopefully be able to deal with it. What's the point in worrying too much? It won't solve anything, right?"

Since last week, and especially since the curfew was declared, patients with chronic diseases, and those who require regular medication, have been facing similar problems as supply seems disrupted and pharmacies cannot stock up on medicines. 

We reached out to some of them to know how they are coping with the ongoing situation. The ones who were able to stock up for a month or more seem to have an easier time compared to those who could not. 

For instance, Rokeya Begum, a cancer patient for the last eight years, buys most of her medicines from Chennai, India and usually has stocks that last up to six months. 

However, her regular medication for diabetes and high blood pressure ran out a couple of days ago. "I sent my house help to at least five different pharmacies in Mohammadpur to get them. Finally, I found some to last me for the next 10 days, but I am worried about what may happen if the stores completely run out of medicines." 

She was due for regular blood tests on Saturday but could not go to the hospital. A person working at a diagnostic laboratory in Dhanmondi would sometimes come to her home but the curfew is not allowing that as well.  

Without an internet connection, those who usually ordered medicines online are also facing trouble. "I usually buy all the medicines at the beginning of the month. Even then I was worried and contacted the e-commerce company, they said that at the moment they are only making deliveries in Banasree where they are located," said Tahmid (pseudonym), a graphics designer in the city.  

Refusing to be named, one person shared with us that his neurodivergent son needs anti-anxiety medication every day and he usually orders them online from India. "We have a few bottles left but if we don't have Internet and run out of the medicine, we will have a big problem. My son is already very anxious and upset because he cannot go to school or get out of the house."

A teacher at a private university in Gulshan, Nahida (not her real name) is staying with her parents at Babar Road in Mohammadpur along with her toddler. "I am worried about my 15-month-old son who sometimes falls sick out of nowhere. His skin is quite sensitive too, and we take him to a dermatologist often. But he is still doing fine by God's grace."

Both her parents are in their 60s and have different co-morbidities. Her father underwent a heart surgery a few years ago. "There are many pharmacies on Babar Road, so we believe we will be able to find medicines in case we run out of the ones at home."