The government health facility at Dharmasthali that Pudasaini, an asthma patient, visited had run out of essential drugs several months ago. "I then went to another health post for medicines but that one didn't even have painkillers," complained Pudasaini.He lamented that he would die soon if he did not get the regular dose of asthma drugs. "I cannot afford to buy medicines. My children don't bother about my worsening health condition," he said, adding that patients like him would have nowhere to go if the government health facilities failed to distribute the medicines free of cost.
Anjana Poudel, a paramedic at the health post, said that the health facility's stock of medicines had dried up months ago. She informed that the Kathmandu District Public Health Office (DPHO) had stopped supplying drugs to the health post. "We lack most of the essential drugs. Out of 35 medicines on the list of essential drugs, we have only about 10 to 12," she informed. She said that the health post has been sending back patients without any medication since the past few months.
"The drug shortage has hit the poor patients hard as only those who cannot afford to buy medicines from private pharmacies come to our health post," she informed.
Since the onset of winter, patients with cold-related ailments like common cod, asthma, cough, fever have been thronging the health post.
The DPHO Kathmandu admitted that it has not been able to supply essential drugs to several health facilities in the districts for months. "The DPHO has just begun the procurement process of the essential drugs. Even the central medical store of the government has not supplied drugs in sufficient quantities," Achyut Lamichhane, chief of Kathmandu DPHO, said.
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