Drug shortage hits health facilities hard

Bara, April 18

Government health facilities in Bara have run out of essential drugs due to sheer negligence of the local levels.

Health workers complained that they didn’t even have essential medicines and first aid kits.

Health worker Shesh Narayan Mahato said the health facilities lacked essential medicines like paracetamol and betadin, among other medicines. He said the health facility could not provide medicines to patients as the number of patients suffering from skin disease, viral fever, diarrhoea and common cold had increased of late. “Medicines required for delivery cases were also not available at the health facilities,” he added.

Health facilities are facing this problem mainly because of the failure of local bodies to buy medicines on time. The government has given the authority to buy medicines worth five lakh rupees to the local levels. But they could not do so due to lack of proper coordination among executive officers, health coordinators and people’s representatives, according to locals.

Chief at District Public Health Coordination Office Roshan Lal Chaudhary said the problems might exist for a few more days. “Some of the health facilities are providing health services by taking medicines from the office,” he added. The problem has occurred as the local levels failed to call for tender to supply medicines. As many as 100 health facilities, including 94 health posts, five primary health centres and one district hospital are operating in the district.