Visakhapatnam: Owing to the lockdown across the state, people who have to travel due to an emergency are having a tough time. So are the sick and the old who can’t get their medicines or go to hospital.
With cabs and autorickshaws also off the streets from Monday, patients from neighbouring states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh who come to Vizag for treatment are stranded.
N. Srilatha, a cancer patient from Bilaspur, said that she could neither get an ambulance nor a hired vehicle to reach the hospital in Vizag for chemotherapy.
“If I miss a session in the treatment schedule, there is a risk of the disease returning or turning into advanced stage of cancer. Though the police allow patients to travel, it is hard to find a vehicle during the lockdown period”ÖŠshe said.
Many heart patients in neighbouring states come to hospitals in Vizag for regular check-ups and to get their medicines. The ban on travel means they are confined to their homes without getting proper treatment.
This was the case of M.V.A. Mohan Rao, a heart patient living in Vizianagaram, who said, “The medicines for my health issue are available only at one or two pharmacies in Vizag. I tried to buy it online but in vain. I’m not in a position to go myself, and police personnel won’t allow my son to travel.”
Vizianagaram deputy transport commissioner Ch Sri Devi said: “Ambulances are free to move across the district. If any patient or a family member carries the prescription the police will permit them. But strict action will be taken on those who try to roam unnecessarily by showing fake medical slips.”
