With medical stores remaining closed during the first half of the day due to the polls, it was a tough time for patients who had no option but to rush to the nearest hospitals for buying their medicines.

Vinayak Jondhale who cast his vote at the Kasba Peth constituency had to visit Poona Hospital for his routine dose of BP medicines. “When I went to my regular medical store for purchasing my blood pressure medicine, the shop was closed. Being a routine visitor, I called up the pharmacist who told me that most of the shops around would remain closed till afternoon due to elections and that I could go to Poona Hospital to purchase my dose,” said Jondhale.

Similar was the case with Vasanti Bapat who, after finding almost all the shops on Laxmi road closed, did away without the medicines. “I am a resident of the old city area and before coming to cast my vote, I wanted to buy some medicines. I checked with most of the shops in Laxmi road area and as they were closed, I had no option but not to buy the medicine,” said Bapat.

Poona Hospital, the sure shot destination for medicines in Deccan area of the city recorded a 25 per cent rise in the number of visitors than usual during the morning time. “We have been operational since the past 26 years and people know that medicines are available 24X7 at our medical shop. Despite the fact that the Out Patients Department (OPD) of the hospital was closed today because of the elections, there was a continuous rush of customers who came asking for medicines from nearby areas of the city,” said Roshan Jain of Poona Hospital Medical Store.

... contd.