Taplejung, May 4:

The regional medical store (Biratnagar) has not been able to supply medicine to health centres, drug stores and Taplejung district hospital, causing a public health crisis in villages of Taplejung which are seeing a spurt in the number of patients suffering from typhoid, dysentery and measles. Health centres in Thumedin, Saulakhu, Limbudin, and Sinam village development committees of the district are facing a shortage of medicines for the past six months, said Baburam Niraula of the Sinam-based Primary Health Centre, adding: “They have no medicines left except Jeevan Jal.”

Depleted stocks are preventig Taplejung hospital from providing medicines to stores. People of Thumedin, Saulakhu, Limbudin, and Sinam are badly affected due to drug shortage. The district hospital is unable to supply medicines since last June. The regional medical store has not supplied medicines to health centres because the VDCs did not allocate budget for the purchase of medicines, a health assistant in a Sanya VDC-based health post said. Patients are staying at home for want of medicines, said Chandra Pokhrel of Hangpang VDC.

While children are suffering from measles, youths and adults are undergoing the pangs of dysentery and typhoid, Pokhrel said.

A doctor at Taplejung Hospital, Shree Ram Prasad Shah, said he did not know why the regional medical store was not supplying medicines to the district.