Shortage of medicine in Humla

Simkot (Humla), Jan 10: Kharpunath rural municipality of Humla has faced a shortage of medicine. All health facilities at the local level are facing a medicine shortage for a month.

The health workers said they were not able to provide essential medicines to the patients. Even the medicines that people deserve free of cost are not available. There are four health posts, a community hospital, a basic health center, and six basic health units in the rural municipality.

Anyone visiting these health facilities is returned empty-handed. Dalsur Pariyar from Raya village informed us that he could not get medicines from the health posts. The health coordinator at the local level, Hari Bhakta Shahi, informed us that the tender notice was not issued on time to purchase essential medicines, which resulted in scarcity.

Even basic medicines like paracetamol and those for patients with the common cold and asthma were not in stock. According to Shahi, the last purchase of Rs 500 thousand was made before the Dashain festival. Now, the store was empty. The officiating chief administrative officer at the rural municipality, Bishnu Bahadur Shahi, however, informed that the next consignment of medicine would arrive by the first week of the Magh month.

For lack of medicines, the people here are forced to visit the District Hospital, Simkot. —RSS