The shutdown has also affected vaccination. With fresh batches of vaccines not arriving, the regular DPT Hep B vaccination has been affected. The polio vaccination drive set to begin a week later is also likely to be affected. [break]
"There is a serious shortage of medicines. We have not been able to provide even enough Cetamols to patients,” said Tej Singh Saud, Assistant Health Worker at the Kolti Primary Health Center in Bajura. “Every day, 80 to 90 patients are visiting the center. I have not been able to provide sufficient Cetamols to patients suffering from fever.”
Saud added that saline bottles and other medicines needed to contain epidemics are not available.
Eleven VDCs in Kolti area are facing a shortage of lifesaving medicines.
It´s not just Bajura that is facing the problem. Bajhang, Accham and other districts are also facing the same problem.
Narayan Dhakal, chief of Regional Medical Store in Dhangadi, said there is a demand of medicines from the hilly districts. But the store is not in a position to deliver supplies due to the shutdown.
A batch of medicines the store sent for Bajura a week ago has been stranded midway.
Batches of medicine packed for Darchula and Bajhang a week ago are still in Dhangadhi.
The store, which supplies medicines to all nine districts in the far-west, is itself facing medicine shortage as it has not received fresh supplies.
Dhakal said the store is facing scarcity of 26 essential medicines, including antibiotics, necessary to treat diarrhea and other epidemics. Medicines worth Rs 8.4 million that were dispatched for the store have also been stranded half way, he said.
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