Itahari, July 22:

Sounds amazing, but it’s true. There are no medicines, not even packets of ORS, at Garaiya (Sunsari)-based sub health post, which was established two years ago with the objective of providing medical services to 16,000 residents of Mahendranagar and Prakashpur VDC.

“We don’t even have packets of Jeewanjal (an ORS) here,” vice-chairman of the sub health post management committee Bhuwan Chandrabanshi said. Assistant Health Worker (AHW) Rajendra Kumar Thapa has been posted in the health post.

Chandrabanshi accused AHW Thapa of not attending the sub health post regularly. Even basic health services have become dearer for the locals.

“We are compelled to go all the way to Inaruwa for treatment of even minor ailments. Locals suffering from critical diseases die for want of medical treatment,” a local, Kamlesh Mandal, said. Another local Shiva Charan Chandrabanshi said the sub health post has not been of any use for the locals because they don’t get any medicine here.

Talking to this daily, he accused the government of showing indifference to their plight. “There hasn’t been any kind of monitoring of the services being provided in the sub health post.” Locals also accused AHW Thapa of selling medicines donated by the government for free. However, AHW Thapa trashed the allegations.

The construction of the building of the sub health post, which was started one-and-a-half years ago with the initiatives of locals, has been stalled for want of budget. Chief of the District Public Health Office Bajra Kishor Thakur said monitoring of the sub health post could not be done because the place is inaccessible.

“The community medicine programme could not be implemented there because the place is inaccessible,” the chief of the district health office said.