Shortage of rabies vaccine in Bajhang hospital, patients get no treatment

By Suresh Dhami, Bajhang, Mar 12: Patients of the animal bites including dogs are unable to get treatment at the district hospital of Bajhang because of the shortage of the rabies vaccine in the hospital.

The people in the district are facing health problem due to the failure of the provincial medial supply management center to provide vaccine in time.

"The hospital administration sent us back saying they have no rabies vaccine for a long time," said Bhuwan Singh, a resident of Matesangu, Chhabispathibhara Rural Municipality-6, who had taken his 8-year-old daughter Pramika to the hospital after a domestic dog bit her on Monday.

Singh said he was barred by the security when he wanted to meet the chief district officer Om Prasad Bhatta and inform him about the vaccine shortage and the plight of patients.

Earlier, journalist Uttam Kumar Thapa had also faced the same problem when he took his son to the hospital for getting rabies vaccine administered.

According to chief of the Bajhang district hospital, Dr. Navaraj Joshi, there is shortage of rabies vaccine all over the Sudur Paschim province. "We have repeatedly demanded the vaccine, but we have got none for long."

The provincial medial supply center in turn blamed the federal government for the shortage of vaccine.

Jayandra Bogati, information officer of the provincial medical supply management center of Sudur Paschim, said that the delay in vaccine supply was due to the delay by the federal government as the federal government supplies the vaccine to the provincial center. He said rabies vaccines will be supplied to the districts soon as the federal government is supplying the vaccines.