All health facilities in Bajhang are reeling under an acute shortage of essential medicines for a long time.

Health workers said they are a facing hard time providing health care services to the patients due to lack of medicines.  “We are witnessing a surge in the number of patients suffering from various cold-related diseases these days. But we cannot help them because there are no medicines. Even administering a minor wound dressing is beyond our wherewithal,” said Shiva Kumar Joshi, the in charge of Kalukheti Health Post.

Health centres in the district are out of essential drugs and medical items.

Gyanu Bhatta, an auxiliary nurse midwife, said essential medicines like Paracetamol, Chloropyramine and Magnesium Sulphate are hard to find in most health facilities in Bajhang these days.

 “If we ask for medicine in the District Health Office, officials there tell us to take our concern to the rural municipal offices,” she said.

Health workers of Surma Rural Municipality said the shortage was caused due to the rural municipal offices’ failure to allocate budget for medicine purchase.

“The local government units are supposed to supply the medicines these days, but they are apparently unaware of this responsibility,” said Shivaraj Bohara, the in charge of Daulichaur Health Post, which receives around 30 patients in a day.

Dr Anup Regmi, the chief of District Health Office, said they were not aware about the issue.

“While the Regional Medical Store sends 80 percent of the medicines and local bodies are supposed to purchase 20 percent of the medicines for health institutions. We are not informed about the status of medicine supply on the part of the local bodies,” he said.

The government provides 70 types of essential medicines for free of cost from the district hospitals, 56 types of medicines from primary health centres and 35 types of medicines from heath posts.