Patients at Parbat District Hospital are having hard time as the facility has run out of essential drugs, including paracetamol.

According to the hospital administration, its pharmacy has been facing shortage of 20 types of drugs, including paracetamol, iron pill, salbutamol and albendazole among other medicines. 

Around 100 patients, mostly suffering from typhoid, asthma, common cold and fever, visit the hospital each day to receive treatment. Surendra Parajuli, a patient, said they have to buy the  medicines which the government distributes for free from health institutions. “This all because of negligence on part of the hospital administration,” he said.

An Auxiliary Nursing Midwife in a remote health post said patients have been reeling under the shortage of medicines in the villages for the past six months. “The district hospital has not supplied medicines to the health posts for a long time,” she said.

There are 55 health posts and one district hospital in Parbat. Meanwhile, Chief of the hospital Dr Phadindra Baral said the hospital has been purchasing only 20 percent of medicines. 

“Eighty percent of medicines which should be distributed for free are being supplied from the regional medical store,” said Baral, adding that they have been reminding the regional medical store to supply the essential medicines at the earliest.