Ashok Kumar

India has the largest post in The World - and now it is stepping in to help provide life-saving medications during a nationwide Lockdown to combat the Corona Virus pandemic. The Bbc Ayeshea Perera in Delhi reports.

Red postal Vans are a familiar sight in India . You make thousands of trips Every Day , criss-crossing the country-wide network of post offices in the 600,000 villages.

The post a lot More Than delivering letters and packages. It is also a bank, a pension Fund and a primary savings instrument for millions of Indians. Now it will also be the Transport of medical equipment and medicines, where they are most needed, at a time when traffic came to a standstill.

If India went into total Lockdown 24. To stop the March in an attempt to close the spread of the coronavirus, all of the companies that were ordered, Apart from the essential services - and people to stay, were told at home. Given that The Announcement was made just four hours before the suspension comes into force, many industries were left in the Lurch - including hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and laboratories at the forefront of The Fight against Covid-19.

"in front of a lot of trouble. We usually rely on courier services to send out products to customers, but none of them did not react, probably because it passes a curfew or the delivery people," Ashok Kumar Madan, the managing Director of The Indian Drug Manufacturers ' Association (Mapa), told The Bbc . Many of these products, he added, were essential medicines such as for cardiovascular disease or cancer.

Then, he got a call from Alok Ojha, the senior superintendent of the post offices in Uttar Pradesh , India 's most populous state.

The post had already provide a partnership with Mapa in the Western state of Gujarat to medications and equipment as a priority. Mr Ojha is offering to do the same on a much larger scale.

"We were definitely on the search for a solution, and the Post Office has unhindered access to the country," Mr Madan Said .

That is because India Post is among the few industries that are allowed as "essential services" and usually work during the lockout.

"started we thought We might be able to help with this we have a supply chain, which is intact. Many of the people I spoke, that would help, since it helps keep you medications out in The Market and preventing hoarding," Said Ojha told The Bbc .

As word spread, they began to call many people and ask for help.

Dr. Ujjala Ghoshal, a microbiologist at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in The North of the city of Lucknow, told The Bbc that she had contact with Mr Ojha, if a batch of Covid-19 Test-kits, which they desperately needed, was stuck in the capital city of Delhi, 550 (340 miles) Away .

"The Institute for Medical research tells us that we will send someone to collect Delhi, the kits, because The Courier company, they usually used to work, but there was no way we could do it, because of the Lockdown ," She Said .

The postal service, She Said , an exception made, and actually, the kits went to The Institute to Pick Up , rather than dropped off at the Post Office . You get this A Day after The Request is made.

Many other institutions and companies have made similar requests. Mr Ojha Said that since the Lockdown began, the post was used to deliver everything from batches of life-saving drugs to Covid-19-testing of the N95 masks and ventilators, portable medical and equipment between the large cities and States, the car usually ran on the red post.

For longer or very urgent travel as a shipment of defibrillators that had to be transported from The State of Tamil Nadu in The South to Uttar Pradesh in The North - Cargo aircraft used. Sometimes the shipments will have to be treated with special attention - a drug manufacturer, asked for help, Said his medication requires cold chain maintenance, that is to say, you must be frozen while being transported. And So Far , every request has been met to The Department .

"We're the best-connected service in India . We Are everywhere. And in this case, we knew that we could help," Said Ojha says.

And with the Lockdown set is expanded, he expects The Service to play a greater role in the coming weeks.

Source of news: bbc.com