Drug shortage hits Jajarkot patients hard

Jajarkot, November 4

Shortage of medicines has hit patients hard in Jajarkot district. The government provides free medicines to people through district hospital but due to delay in budget release, District Hospital, Jajarkot, is reeling under acute medicine shortage.

Due to medicine crunch, patients are compelled to buy medicines from private pharmacies at higher prices. Patients said that doctors at the hospital referred them to private drug stores to buy medicines. They added that the patients from poor family background could not afford to buy medicines thus compelled to suffer from ailment.

Acting Medical Superintendent Dr Chandani Jaisawal at the hospital said that problems occurred mainly because of municipality’s delay in releasing budget. “The municipality is supposed to release Rs 24 lakhs for the district hospital but it has yet to release the budget.