Health facilities in Tripurasundari Municipality of Dolpa district are facing an acute shortage of medicines, with procurement not made for nearly seven months since the start of the fiscal year due to the absence of a chief administrative officer.

Medicines that should have been purchased at the start of the fiscal year were not procured, leaving all 12 health units under the municipality without even basic drugs. Health Section Chief Thaneshwar Paneru said essential medicines such as paracetamol, amoxicillin, oral rehydration salts and asthma-related drugs are out of stock.

“Due to the lack of an office head, medicine procurement has not moved forward for a long time. As a result, we do not have even basic medicines. Health post in-charges have also reported shortages,” Paneru said.

He added that although the budget is available, the procurement process cannot proceed without a chief administrative officer. “We are managing temporarily by requesting a small quantity of medicines from the district hospital, but that is not sufficient,” he said.

The shortage has worsened as winter has set in, increasing the number of patients suffering from cold, cough and fever, according to health facilities. Even the municipal hospital located at the municipal centre does not have adequate medicines.

Doctor Sujan Kathayat at the municipal hospital said that while some medicines are available, supplies are far from sufficient. The municipality has been requesting medicines from the Health Service Office, Dolpa, to keep services running. However, officials said the office has often been reluctant to supply medicines despite repeated requests.

Sijan Rawal, chief of the Health Service Office, Dolpa, said the office has to cater to the district hospital as well as all local governments. “There is a shortage of medicines across local levels. When requests are made, we send medicines as far as available,” he said.

The absence of a chief administrative officer has also affected key administrative and financial tasks, including signing development project agreements, releasing salaries for teachers and staff, and extending contracts of temporary employees.