In addition, she was also deprived of Rs 500 that government hospitals are required to provide to a new mother. The ongoing Madhes protests, obstructions at the border points with India have created severe crisis of medicines at government hospitals.
“The hospital has not received any medicines since for the last five months,” said Padam Shree Gurung, in-charge of maternity department at the district hospital. “We have no choice but to tell the patients to buy all the necessary items themselves. Only our services are free of cost,” she added.
Maternity patients visiting the district hospital are forced to travel to nearby Indian hospitals for delivery in lack of medicines. They are compelled to spend thousands of rupees in India for a service that during normal times would be free of cost in Nepal.
Patients are forced to buy even common types of medicines such as cetamol, according to Rabindar Kumar Sah, in-charge of emergency ward of Sarlahi District Hospital.
“Even when people are brought with injuries from protests, all we can do is bandage their wounds. We cannot stitch even severe injuries due to lack of medicines and necessary equipments,” added Shah.
Patients have been complaining that they are forced to buy medicines at a very expensive price from pharmacy stores. “The agitating party and the government should take note of the problems. Failure to do so will cause difficulties to thousands more patients,” said Sita Ram Kushwaha, a health worker in Lalbandi Municipality.
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