Pyuthan, March 19
A shortage of paracetamol, iron tablets for pregnant women, and medicines for gastric problems at the Pyuthan District Hospital has affected treatment services.
The situation arose after medicines failed to arrive on time from the Provincial Health Supply Management Center. According to hospital storekeeper Nabin Thapa, the hospital currently has no paracetamol in stock, and iron tablets have not been available to pregnant women for the past seven to eight months. He said the shortage occurred as commonly used medicines ran out quickly.
A total of 98 types of medicines supplied through the provincial government have not yet been received in the current fiscal year. Madhav Pokhrel, information officer at the Provincial Health Supply Management Center in Butwal, said the procurement process is ongoing, and it will take some time before the medicines become available.
Health workers say local governments have stepped in to procure and distribute essential medicines instead of relying solely on federal and provincial supplies. According to Madhusudan Khadka, senior immunisation officer at the Pyuthan Health Office, local units have arranged to purchase necessary medicines to prevent shortages.
Paras Shahi, chief of the health section at Mallarani Rural Municipality, said that in addition to medicines supplied by federal and provincial governments, the municipality has been procuring additional medicines to ensure there is no shortage at health facilities. These include free medicines as well as those for non-communicable diseases.
This year, iron tablets have been distributed to 13,528 adolescent girls for 13 weeks. In the previous fiscal year, 593 pregnant women received iron tablets.
