The BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan, Koshi Zonal Hospital, Biratnagar and other big hospitals have issued notices stating that the service has been stopped.[break] “We have been forced to stop the service as the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division has not sent us antivenom for two weeks,” Radha Nanda Jha, an officer at the medical store at Koshi Zonal Hospital, told Republica.
Raghu Nandan Adhikari at the hospital´s emergency ward said up to 10 patients who come for snakebite treatment are being turned back daily for lack of the medicine. Jha of the hospital medical store said there are just around 15 vials of antivenom. “Around 20 to 100 vials have to be used on a single patient. So, we have stopped the service now in view of the risk involved in begining treatment without sufficient medicine,” Jha explained.
The Eastern Regional Medical Store said the center has not sent the medicine even after being informed that regular treatment for snakebite has been affected. “Treatment at government hospitals has been affected as enough antivenom has not been sent by the center despite our demand,” non-gazetted first class officer at the store Pushkar Dhakal said.
“We received 700 vials of antivenom Tuesday but that has to be distributed in 12 districts. A single hospital demands up to 500 vials,” Dhakal disclosed. With the lack of antivenom at government hospitals, snakebite victims now have to depend on the Nepal Army barracks at Itahari, Inaruwa, Mangalbare, Damak and Charali.
Related story
Raptisonari gets its first snakebite treatment center
