TEHRATHUM: Most of the health centres in Terhathum have been facing a shortage of essential medicines for long.

Locals have complained that they were compelled to return empty handed after reaching local health posts due to lack of medicine.

The health centres failed to receive the medicines from the District Health Office as they stopped sending medicines to them since this fiscal year.

With the new provision, the local bodies should manage medicines to local health centres but the budget for the same is yet to be allocated properly.

According to locals, the health centres do not have even cetamol, amoxicillin and metro tablets and contraceptive devices among other essential medicines for past two months.

Chuhandanda Health Post In-charge Sushil Ingnam shared that over 36 kinds of cost-free medicines were insufficient in most of the health centres. However, 39 types of medicines were said to be provided free of cost.

Similarly, the health posts at Thoklung, Phedam, Menchhyayem, Chhathar Rural Municipalities are also facing medicine shortage.

The DHO chief Dr Mukti Narayan Shah also accepted the reality of medicine shortage in most of the health centres in the district.

Patients in the district have been forced to buy the cost-free medicines as well.