Nanma Drug Bank

Kerala is home for the largest number of people living with life-style diseases (Non-Communicable Diseases) too. For example, it has been estimated that on an average, nearly one in three adults in Kerala over 18 years of age suffer from hypertension and one in five from diabetes. The prevalence of long-term respiratory diseases and kidney diseases is also high. It has also been estimated that almost one in 200 persons in Kerala are affected by major psychiatric diseases.

Normal life is possible for patients with these ailments if they have constant and consistent intake of medicines. At the same time, they can relapse to major complications if medicines are not taken regularly as prescribed. Most of these medicines are not very expensive. But there are a large number of patients who cannot afford to buy these medicines regularly. Many of them were being supported by the NCD clinics in Primary Health Centres, District Mental Health Programmes by the Government and also philanthropists.

The current crisis caused by COVID-19 seriously affected these patients, as the focus of health care system got shifted to prevention of the virus infections, loss of jobs and income due to lockdown and slump in economy and change in priorities in households. The situation is catastrophic as a break in regular medication will mean loss of hard-earned control over the disease

In this context, Nanma planned to set up community owned drug banks with the collective effort of professional organisations, social groups and like-minded individuals. A partnership with Kerala Police, Student Police Cadets Programme and Palliative Care Network has already been established to identify and distribute medicines to the most deserving patients. Nanma Drug Banks will collect medicines from various sources, identify chronically ill patients in urgent need of support with medicines and establish a system of delivery of medicines and documentation.