Citizen Initiative: Mumbai Doctor Couple Collects Unused Covid Medicines To Help Needy Patients

Mumbai: In a noble gesture aimed at reaching out to the needy patients amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, a doctor couple in Mumbai is collecting medicines from those who have recovered from the virus and providing them to those who cannot afford them.

Dr Marcus Ranney and his wife Dr Raina began ‘Meds For More’ – a citizen initiative to collect unused medicines from Covid recovered patients – earlier on May 1.

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Talking about the same, Dr Ranney said medicines are collected from housing societies and provided to those who cannot afford them.

Dr Raina on her part said the “idea came when one of the family members of our staff got infected from Covid and they needed medication”.

“As you know the medicines can be expensive. At that time there were a few people, who had recovered from Covid. So, we decided to take their medicines and donate them. After that, we took the help from seven to eight people of neighbouring buildings and set up a team and started this mission with the objective of helping those who cannot go out to buy medicines or anyone who can’t afford the Covid medicines,” ANI quote Dr Raina as saying.

The couple has in just 10 days collected 20 kilograms of unused Covid-19 medicines, which will be donated to the primary health care centres in rural districts across the country for timely treatment of the underprivileged infected due to the virus.

“We have now 100 buildings that are sending medicines to us. We are a team of eight people and of course, the volunteers in different buildings. Last week, we collected 20 kilograms of medicines, which have been packaged and given to our NGO partners,” said Dr Ranney.

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With increasing awareness about the ‘Meds for More’ initiative, the residents from neighbouring buildings have started volunteering to collect medicines.

This comes as Maharashtra is shortage of vaccines with the state government earlier on Tuesday suspending the Covid-19 vaccination drive for the 18 to 44 age group due to shortage of jabs.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope, who informed about the same, said the state government has decided to prioritise the second dose of the 45+ age group people with the remaining stock of vaccines.