Health posts in Banke district are reeling under shortage of essential medicines.

Hiramad Gurab Tharu, the In charge of Baijapur Health Post, said they were running out of essential drugs. The health services could be affected if the medicines are not supplied immediately.

“We have been turning back the community health volunteers empty handed since we do not enough at the health post,” Tharu said.

Community health volunteers Purna Kala Yogi of Bankatwa VDC said the health post has not provided medicines for the past several months. “We have no medicines to distribute in villages,” she said.   

Pregnant and post-partum women are deprived of iron pills. There are no paracetamol and Jeewan Jal (re-hydrating solution) in health posts. Though the government has announced to provide 35 types of medicines free of cost from various health posts, people are compelled to buy them at chemists.

Store keeper of the District Public Health Office Bedeshor Gautam said they do not have sufficient stock of essential drugs, including paracetamol, iron pills and antibiotics.

According to the DPHO, they need 300, 000 iron pills in the district for a year. It only received 117, 500 iron pills this year. Other essential medicines were also supplied in low quantities.

There are 42 health posts, two sub health posts and three primary health centres in the district. District Public Health Officer Dr Binod Kumar Giri said they are facing problems due to lack of medicines in the health posts.  “We have informed the centre about the drugs shortage,” said Giri.