A mother, surnamed Chow, who is stranded in the west of Hubei province, is feeling desperate about the health of her daughter, who has epilepsy.

The 41-year-old and her daughter arrived in the city of Yichang on Jan 21, carrying a two-week supply of medication for the girl.

On Jan 24, Yichang was locked down and all exits were closed, meaning Chow and her 8-year-old daughter were unable to return to Hong Kong on Feb 1, as scheduled.

When the girl's medication ran out, she had a seizure and was hospitalized. It was midnight. Four hours later, after several injections, the seizures stopped, Chow said.

On Feb 11, the girl received a shipment of drugs from the Hong Kong Department of Health to treat her epilepsy.

"We were fortunate to get help from the government," Chow said.

Medication was not the only hard-to-find item. There's a struggle to find basic necessities, and Chow described her family's life in Yichang as "miserable".

It is understood that Chow and her daughter did not board the first chartered flight the Hong Kong government sent to Hubei.

The plane carried Hong Kong residents stranded in Wuhan, Hubei's capital, and people in urgent situations in other cities.

They included pregnant women, patients in need of chemotherapy and specialist treatment, and candidates for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination.