Saturday 27th Jul, 2024
Houston: When a Texas hospital called to request a rare disease medication, an Indian-American CEO of a pharmacy firm got it shipped to Houston from Orlando by sending one of his employees to pick it up as all logistics companies were unable to deliver it overnight due to Hurricane Harvey.
Harish Katharani, founder and CEO of Southside Group of Companies, said Impavido — the only oral treatment drug used for critically ill patients with Leishmaniasis — costs about $49,000 and hence is not readily stocked by pharmacies.
Kathrani sent one of his employee to get the drug shipped to Texas Children’s Hospital in the midst of Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit the US mainland in 13 years.
Harvey has left a trail of destruction across Texas, pummelling the region with heavy rains. Around 13 million people have been battling catastrophic flooding in Texas.
In another incident, Medicare Advantage provider TexanPlus contacted Southside’s Texas Medical Centre to inquire if the firm could provide services to their patients during the hurricane weekend.
Despite not being contracted by this health maintenance organisation, Southside readily volunteered to provide healthcare services to their patients during this crisis.
TexanPlus circulated an internal memo letting their case workers know about Southside’s availability during Hurricane Harvey.
Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston’s executive director Jagdip Ahluwalia stated that he was proud that one of their Chamber members was going above and beyond the call of duty to serve the community in this hour of need.
Southside is a pharmacist owned and operated company established in 1992. It ships specialty medication to over 35 states. Its pharmacies will remain open during the weekend’s regular hours but their pharmacist and nurses are on call 24/7 to help Texans tide over the troubles case by the hurricane.
Katharani, who came to the US in 1972, is a generous donor to various charitable organisations such as MS Society, Hep-C Clinic, Liver Foundations as well as to Cancer and HIV research institutions.