The government has been sending a consignment of 22 types of medicines at the sub health posts, 32 at health posts and 88 at primary health centers every year as part of the free health services program since 2007. [break]But Cetamols apart, there aren´t enough medicines, concedes the acting chief of the District Public Health Office (DPHO) Prem Bahadur Singh.
Kalikot District Hospital, which has been provided with ultrasound equipment, doesn´t even provide x-ray services forcing the people to visit Surkhet and Nepalgunj for an x-ray. Dolpa District Hospital, which has quotas for two MBBS doctors, has one but there are no public health officers, staff nurses and lab technicians. The district doesn´t have vaccine supervisor, and tuberculosis and leprosy assistants.
The state in these districts sums up the health scenario in Karnali zone. Kalikot and Mugu districts have yet to receive any medicine five months into the new fiscal year though the government had declared free health services at district hospitals, primary health centers, health posts and sub health posts across the country.
The zonal hospital has yet to come into operation while 123 out of the 520 health officials posted in the zone are on leave. Kalikot alone has 44 absentees among 152 posted at 30 institutes including the district hospital, one primary health center, nine health posts and 18 sub health posts. The only primary health center doesn´t have senior health officials like doctor, staff nurse and senior assistant health worker (AHW) and six of the nine health posts don´t have senior AHWs.
"The medicines sent by the center have not arrived yet while there has been no local procurement. The health centers have sent orders but we have not been able to supply medicines," public health officer Mohammad Ojair Alam said.
The ultrasound machine at the district hospital remains unused after the doctor went for training while the x-ray machine is not functional.
Six of the nine health posts in Dolpa don´t have office heads while six sub health posts out of the 14 in the district also don´t have the chiefs.
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