HUMLA: As many as 120 infants and 30 expectant months in Maila village of Humla district were deprived of vaccination for last five months apparently due to negligence of concerned authorities.

Locals blamed the VDC-level Health Post and District Health Office for the unavailability of vaccines.

Local Dhanulal Jaisi said she did not get any chance to get immunised while she was pregnant. "Now it has already been two months and I have not got my child vaccinated," she added.

Jaisi said she had visited the health post in order to get her child immunised, but the health facility did not pay any heed.

The Health Post In-Charge Devilal Sunar, on his part, said the syringes and medicines required for vaccination were not delivered due to geographic complications and a long distance from the district headquarters.

One has to walk as long as 10 days to reach the health post from Humla district headquarters Simikot.

He had reported the issue to the DHO, but the district authority did not address it yet, he lamented.

"Immunisation is a right of pregnant women and newborns," Auxiliary Nurse Midwife in the village, Junila Khokaling, said, "But, they have not got the right here."

DHO Information Officer Naresh Shrestha said the problem was not solved owing to difficulties in supplies and lack of sufficient human resources at the health post.

Meanwhile, locals complained they did not get any other health services from the health post.

The health facility lacks basic medicines including paracetamol and oral rehydration solution, they explained.

"We are dependent on an NGO for medicines supplies," Sunar said.