Hunt for Tamiflu

These days, big pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City and many pharmacists, doctors and pharmacists also receive such hot and direct orders directly.

On the morning of October 26, 2005, in the NT drugstore, one of the big drugstores in Hai Ba Trung street market (HBT), Ho Chi Minh City, the stall girl, just heard me open the words Tamiflu answered immediately: ' Sorry! You were a minute late. The customer of the last three boxes here comes out of that car . ' As soon as I walked up to me, the civil servant man with some boxes of Tamiflu stuffed his bag and ran away from the motorbike.

Looks like he was afraid I would open up the medicine again. The elderly pharmacist came out from the house and seemed to sympathize with me: ' I write down my cell phone number. There is medicine for me to report immediately. Ah, but you have to deposit at least 50% . After saying that the previous guest had deposited VND 500,000 before, she added that the price of Tamiflu was only VND 450,000 / box of 10 tablets, but now it has to sell for VND 600,000. 'Even if someone is willing to pay millions, I don't sell if I don't deposit in advance .'.

At the next pharmacy on the HBT street, she sold the medicine to laugh at my serious face: 'You are the first person from the morning .'. After finishing the sentence, she gave the paper so I could record the phone number and also quote the price of VND 600,000 / box, but did not promise to call back in a day or two because it was " sold out ".

The next pharmacy owner shook his head as soon as I heard that I asked the question to buy Tamiflu and told me if I had a disease, I should go to the hospital immediately. But at the MC pharmacy, a multi-client pharmacy and so many drugs that it was judged that even hospitals had to come here to find a source of special medicine, the nurse nodded when she heard I was looking to buy Tamiflu and the quote was only available. VND 450,000. She stood next to him and hushed: ' 480,000 dong. Price up. ' Saying that, she walked into the medicine store at the back of the house.

I was touching my bag, checking my money to pay it again when she suddenly came out: 'It's out of medicine. Other times you come back . ' At the same time, a few more guests rushed to ask Tamiflu. Someone had a money to ask for a deposit, but the pharmacist shook her head . The company has limited distribution. Many people demand deposits too afraid to not have medicine . '.

Going to the car, this guest kept asking me if I knew where to sell Tamiflu! He said he was " in charge " of sending 15 boxes of medicine to the board of directors of a trading company in District 3 and was willing to "give away a box" to me if only the right place. Currently, not only individuals and families, but some companies and units are also hunting for this special medicine. Supply was almost unresponsive, because small pharmacies had no goods, and large pharmacies did not have enough to sell.

The pharmacist of an HBT street pharmacy stated: ' This drug is distributed through Diathemlm Company, but only three can be delivered at a time. Customers who have a lot of money pay twice the price, triple the amount they cannot earn for sale . ' On the evening of October 26, 2005, I only received a message from the pharmacy HBT informing me: '10 boxes of Tamiflu have been met. If you still need to buy it, take the money out immediately, don't let it go. Sure price 600,000 VND / box '. Nearly 10 other pharmacies that I have left a phone number remain silent because there are no goods back.

These days it is difficult to find Tamiflu at a free market. Many people are hunting down the familiar 'channels' of doctors and pharmacists in the hospital. The hunt for Tamiflu in the free market is still hot and may be even hotter.

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