Health services in Udayapur have been hit hard due to shortage of essential medicines for the last two months.

Even paracetamol tablets are unavailable in some rural areas of the district, health workers said.

“We are buying paracetamols and distributing them to patients. But we cannot just buy every essential medicine and hand them to the people,” said Jagadish Yadav, in charge of Hardeni Health Post. 

He added that the District Public Health Office (DPHO) had not supplied medicines in months.

Duniyalal Yadav, information officer of the DPHO, said there was a drug shortage in the district because the government had stopped sending funds after the local bodies were elected.

“The centre sent us the funds directly in the past. These days the funds are being routed through local units and they have not sent us any so far,” he said, adding that the new system was introduced from the start of current fiscal year.

Gyanendra Shrestha, mayor of Katari Municipality, however, claimed that there was no shortage of essential medicines.

“We have already purchased and supplied essential medicines to local health posts,” he said, adding that the municipality has set aside Rs 800,000 to buy medicines to be shipped in two phases.

But people in rural areas say that they have been travelling to Gaighat, the district headquarters, to buy medicines and get basic medical care for months now.

 “Since there are no essential medicines at health posts, we have been visiting Gaighat for medical care these days,” said Purna Bahadur Karki of Sunkoshi Rural Municipality.

The government provides 70 types of essential medicines for free of cost from the district hospitals, 58 types of medicines from primary health centres and 40 types of medicines from heath posts.

Medicine budget delayed in Jajarkot

JAJARKOT: Patients in Jajarkot District Hospital are compelled to purchase free of cost medicines because of drug shortage at government-run health facilities. Patients are being referred to private clinics and health institutions for treatment these days, because the state-run health facilities do not have essential medicines. This situation has been going on for months now. Dr Chandani Jaiswal,  acting medical superintendent at the District Hospital, said the current crisis in health services was a result of Bheri Municipality delaying the budget for the purchase of essential drugs. Ram Prasad Sharma, the executive officer of the municipality, however, claimed that they learnt about the drug shortage only on Monday, and the District Hospital had not notified them about the situation. (PR)