Malappuram: Amid restrictions along the interstate borders in view of COVID-19 lockdown, Kerala Fire Force personnel procured and handed over life-saving drugs for a cancer patient in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.
According to reports, fire force personnel are all set to help those in need of life-saving drugs anywhere in Kerala and the drug they need will be home delivered. Fire Force personnel can be reached on 101.
Setting a pan-India example in times when even non-COVID-19 patients with medical emergencies are harassed and denied entry, Kerala Fire Force personnel procured the cancer treatment medications from MVR Cancer centre in Calicut and handed it over to the relative of a patient from Devala in Tamil Nadu.
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On Friday night, the patient’s relatives had called Kerala Fire Force station asking if they could get the medicines somehow. Fire Force personnel immediately contacted MVR Cancer Centre to check the availability of the medicines. After confirming the availability, Fire Station Officer M Abdul Gafoor, who received the call, passed on the information to Mukkom Fire station, which is closer to MVR Cancer Centre.
Mukkom Fire force personnel collected the medicines from MVR Cancer Centre. By Sunday morning, the medicines had reached Nilambur Fire office. Nilambur Fire and Rescue Officers E M Shintu, A S Pradeep and Civil Defence Volunteer Ramzan Tana went up to Nadukani hairpin bends along the Tamil Nadu border and handed over the medicines to the Devala patient’s relative who waited there.
The relatives of this patient said that they had approached the police earlier seeking help but in vain.
In the current situation, hundreds of people in the State avail this service from the Fire and Rescue department. Kerala is setting examples of brotherhood and care in tough times, even as many deaths have been reported due to Karnataka’s indifferent approach towards Kerala.
