The health post at Thori in Parsa is facing shortage of essential medicines and medical instruments for the past one year.

Health workers said they have been issuing prescription slips to the patients to buy medicines at local

pharmacies.

The health post does not even have the medicines that all government health facilities provide for free of cost.

Two persons died of snakebite in the village last year. Health Assistant Madan Kumar Bishwokarma said their lives could have been saved if the health post had the necessary medicines.

The number of patients usually increases during monsoon, but the health post is not prepared. Cases of snakebite and diarrhoea are common during monsoon.

“We usually refer serious cases to the district headquarters or Chitwan,” Bishwokarma said.

He added that the District Public Health Office has not supplied essential medicines to the health post despite their repeated requests.

DPHO Chief Rajkishor Pandit said the office has been unable to supply medicines because it was still in the process of issuing a contract to a suitable firm to transport medicines.  “We have invited a tender to transport medicines to the district,” said Pandit. “We will immediately supply medicines to Thori once the contract process is through.”