GAUSHALA: Government health institutions based in Mahottari district are wearing a deserted look these days as patients stopped to visit them in search of treatment after such health facilities came under a grip of the shortage of medicines.

Health facilities here have neither the stock of medicines to be distributed free of cost by the government nor the health professionals posted there come regularly on duty.

There are 76 health posts, some other community health centres and one District Hospital in Mohattari.

But they have not announced a tender for medicines to be purchased at the local level for long citing no supplies of medicines from the centre, forcing patients to go to the private hospitals and out of the district for treatment, locals said.

Over 300 patients used to visit the district-based government health facilities earlier.