Jajarkot, September 14

Patients have been hit hard due to lack of medicines offered free of cost by the government in Jajarkot District Hospital.

Health workers said they could not even treat patients of viral fever, typhoid and common cold due to lack of medicines. On the other hand, seasonal patients are increasing at the hospital on a daily basis.

Health workers said medicine crunch was aggravated as the hospital was yet to procure medicines for the current fiscal. The government provides 72 types of medicine to people through district hospitals across the country. The health facility does not even have paracetamol tablets and iron capsules, among other medicines.

According to hospital data, around 150 patients visit the district hospital every day. Of them, around 60 to 70 are viral fever patients.

Kamala Thapa of Bheri Municipality visited the hospital with complaints of headache and fever. She said she had to go to a private dispensary to buy medicines at an expensive rate after the hospital failed to provide them to her. “Earlier, we did not have to go to private pharmacies, but now every medicine has to be bought from private pharmacies.”

Another local Dharma Raj Pariyar said patients from poor backgrounds suffered the most due to lack of medicines at the hospital.

Likewise, local Dhan Bahadur Khadka said the hospital with 50 beds was meaningless for them as there were no medicines and doctors to treat patients.

Dr Keshar Jung Karki said the hospital could not buy medicines due to lack of accountant. “The post of accountant has been vacant for two years but the authority is yet to fill the vacant post,” he added.

Chair of the hospital development committee Dharmashila Basnet said no action has been taken even though the authority concerned was informed about the problems facing the facility.