Ramesh Kshirsagar clutched a Rs 500 note as he begged pharmacists to offer medicines for his mother, who is fighting cancer in the Tata Memorial Hospital. He was not alone
Vinayak Pukale with his wife and their 15-day-old daughter were trying to get medicines at a pharmacy in Parel for their newborn, who is suffering from fever, but were turned away due to lack of change. Pic/Suresh Karkera
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Ramesh Kshirsagar clutched a Rs 500 note as he begged pharmacists to offer medicines for his mother, who is fighting cancer in the Tata Memorial Hospital. The pharmacists refused to accept the currency note, forcing Ramesh to leverage his gold ring in exchange for life-saving medicines for his mother.
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Patients and their relatives were crowding the National Chemist, located near KEM Hospital. Pic/Suresh Karkera
The pharmacy, National Chemist, was ready to take Ramesh’s gold ring as security until he returns with the money he owed in Rs 100 bills. “My mother needs the money urgently. Tata doesn’t have the medicines, so they asked me to get it from outside. I have two Rs 500 notes and the price of the medicine is Rs 1,200. But they aren’t ready to accept it,” Ramesh told mid-day.
Ramesh Kshirsagar offered the pharmacist his gold ring to get medicines for his cancer-affected mother
“It is the biggest pharmacy in Parel, where hundreds of patients are flocking, but they aren’t agreeing [to give any],” he added. Ramesh is only one of the several hundred patients running from pillar to post to secure medicines.
Out of Rs 100 bills
The government released a circular Tuesday, stating civic-run hospitals would accept the defunct notes for the next 72 hours. But most of the hospitals have run out of Rs 100, as they were not informed of the change beforehand. Shops inside hospitals were overflowing with people waiting just for change.
Begging for change
In the emergency ward of KEM, this reporter spotted Khatunbe who had been begging people since morning to get Rs 450. Her son-in-law has been admitted at Sion Hospital where he was undergoing surgery after an accident. The hospital had asked her to get some medicines from KEM as they didn’t have it. She rushed to get the medicine but she was denied as she had only Rs 500.
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“I am begging people to give me medicines. First of all, Sion and KEM should give medicines free of cost and secondly, they aren’t even taking Rs 500. My son-in-law needs the medicines urgently as he is undergoing surgery in Sion,” said Khatunbe. She rushed to National Chemist to get the medicine but they refused to give it to her. Helpless, she sat on the footpath and cried. “The Prime Minister is trying to curb black money, but we poor people are suffering,” she said. Seeing this, an employee of the pharmacy bought her medicines with his money. Following a tussle with patients, most of the medical shops near big hospitals like KEM, JJ downed its shutter.
Iron hand
Supriya Tambe faced an odd predicament. She was admitted at VN Desai Hospital after she broke her left leg. Her relatives submitted Rs 1,200 to the hospital for her surgery. While the money was submitted on Tuesday before the announcement the hospital asked her to provide the same amount in Rs 100 bills on Wednesday morning.
“This is impractical. We are trying to talk it out but they aren’t agreeing,” said Sandesh Tambe, Supriya’s nephew. “I will look into the matter. Ask the patient to get in touch with me,” said Dr Ashok Ghongde, Superintendent of VN Desai Hospital.
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