In its bid to fend off the present drug crisis, the government is planning to use stock of drugs that were meant to be used only during the time of disaster and other natural crisis.

The Department of Health Services (DoHS) has decided to use the medicines that are kept in all five regions of the country as part of the Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance from next week.

As the blockade imposed by India has halted supplies of essential drugs to the country, a majority of hospitals and health institutions have run short of many essential and life saving drugs affecting the lives of patients.

Dr Sinendra Upreti, director general at the DoHS, said they have already held meetings with UN agencies, including World Health Organisation (WHO) and other bodies, to ensure that the drug stocks are used properly. “This would help us avert the looming crisis for some time,” he said.

The DoHS on Tuesday wrote a letter to the WHO seeking its help to ending the crisis of essential drugs and asking for its support to conduct impact assessment of the blockade on health services across the country. The WHO is yet to reply to the DoHS.

Dr Upreti said instructions will be sent accordingly to all regional health directorates to use medicines as per the need.

The DoHS said hospitals across the country have seen sharp drop in the flow of patients given the fuel crisis and also essential drugs and saline stock is depleting fast. Also, the mobility of the ambulances has been affected.

The Kathmandu-based referral hospitals, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital and Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, are fast running out of their stocks of life-saving drugs, including adrenaline and atrophin that are used for heart patients. These drugs are also not available in local market while the drug consignment languishes in border areas.

These stocks of drugs are the same that were used following the April 25 earthquake. These stored drugs contain diarrhoeal kit, essential drugs and other consumables which are more targeted to displaced population during any natural crisis or hazards.