Many senior citizens from the State, who had gone abroad on short visits to be with their children, were put in a spot by the lockdown and flight bans, post the COVID-19 outbreak, as they were unable to come back as scheduled. The situation was even worse for those on medication for pre-existing conditions, as their medicine stocks began depleting and it was an expensive proposition to buy the same overseas.
Seattle-based Shilpa Chandran Arunvijay was one of the many expatriates who were looking at ways to ship essential medicines for her parents, both in their seventies. With their stay getting extended, they were about to be out of medication. Her father had survived a major heart attack last year and was on heart medication.
CM’s intervention
“This is when my sister-in-law’s father decided to send an email to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, pointing out the plight of those stuck outside. The Chief Minister mentioned this issue in the next day’s press conference. A week later, he announced that his office has decided to immediately restart the courier services and fast-track the shipment of medicines to NRI seniors. Next day, my sister-in-law’s father got a call from NoRKA Roots, asking him to immediately contact the local DHL office. The medicines reached my parents a week later. Many of my friends’ parents who have been facing a similar situation have also got medicines couriered now,” says Ms. Shilpa.
Many enquiries
According to NoRKA Roots CEO K. Harikrishnan Namboothiri, a lot of enquiries have come from expatriates regarding shipping of medicines. “In the initial days, shipments were through cargo, for which the applicant has to get an NOC from customs, as well as clearance at the airport. Later, DHL courier service came forward and proposed a plan, providing 25% discount on shipments. We connected all those who applied with the couriering company. They need to provide a prescription, medical bills and copy of Aadhaar. Collection of medicines were a major challenge in the initial period, as they could not pick up from red zones,” says Mr. Harikrishnan.
According to a DHL official, ever since medicine shipments began three weeks ago, the highest volume has gone to the Gulf countries.
Up by 60%
“Medicine shipments have gone up by 60% than usual, as a lot of senior citizens are stuck abroad. Now, we have 1,000-1,200 shipments from Kerala daily. In the initial days, shipments used to take 10 days, as we had only three flights. Now, we can deliver in 4-5 days as there are daily flights,” says the official.
