Damauli, December 19

District Health Office Tanahun has purchased medicines that could last for two months. There are as many as 75 government health facilities including two hospitals, and as many primary health centres in the district.

According to Chief of DHO Dr Pawanjung Rayamajhi, the drugs were purchased after the Department of Health Services under the Ministry of Health failed to dispatch necessary drugs for long. “We had to take matters in our own hands after the department did not send us any medicine,” said Rayamajhi, adding that some 52 types of drugs worth 4 million rupees had been purchased.

Chairman of Damauli Hospital Hariraj Kandel also justified the decision to procure drugs on grounds of necessity. “The health facilities were in dire need of medicines, and patients were suffering because of the department’s failure to send the drugs. We did what we had to,” he said.

Storekeeper Indra Khanal of the DHO informed that the office will start dispatching drugs to villages from Tuesday. “So far we’ve got 44 types of drugs; the rest of the consignment is coming,” he said, adding that the district requires 12.5 million rupees’ worth of drugs a year.