Kolkata: The onset of heatwave in the city has led to a huge demand for oral rehydration solutions (ORS) that have been flying off the shelves fast, leading to a shortage in supply.
While the demand has gone up three-fold since last week, supplies have been slow due to the year-end account settling formalities that have prevented many drugs stores from acquiring fresh stocks.The demand-supply gap should soon be wiped out, said retailers who expect things to settle down soon.
“We are running out of stocks fast but fresh supplies may not arrive before a week as distributors are still in the process of acquiring fresh stocks for the new financial year,” said the owner of a New Alipore store that sold 50 units in the past three days.
Several private hospital pharmacies said they, too, were worried about depleting stick. “As doctors are advising people to stay hydrated, the demand for ORS has gone up. At our pharmacy, ORS sales have gone up over three times. We have raised our order. From 40-45 ORS units being sold daily to outside patients, the count has reached 150,” said Namrata Bhattacharjee, pharmacy head, BP Poddar Hospital.
The supplies had slowed down due to year-end payment settlements, said Sajal Ganguly, secretary of Bengal Chemists’ and Druggists’ Association. “While there is no dearth at the manufacturing point, supplies have been a tad slow due to year-end payment clearance. Things should normalize in a week,” he said, pointing out electrolyte solution shortage was restricted only to some pockets of Kolkata.
Apollo Pharmacy in Tollygunge said they were running out of ORS, while Frank Ross on NSC Bose Road has already run out of Electral.
“Perspiration leads to loss of body fluids and vital electrolytes like sodium and potassium. To prevent a heat stroke, we need ORS water. It not only meets our water requirements but also replenishes the lost electrolytes,” said Rajdeep Sen, consultant physician, B P Poddar Hospital.