The municipality has not purchased the medicines it needed to purchase at the beginning of the fiscal year for almost seven months due to the absence of a Chief Administrative Officer. Due to this, there is a shortage of medicines in health institutions.
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There is a shortage of medicines in Tripura Sundari Municipality in the Himalayan district of Dolpa. The shortage is reported in health institutions under the municipality.
The lack of medicines in health institutions has led to a shortage of medicines after the medicines that were supposed to be purchased at the beginning of the fiscal year were not purchased for almost seven months due to the absence of the Chief Administrative Officer.
Health Branch Chief Thaneshwa Paneru informed that there is a shortage of many medicines including common acetaminophen, amoxicillin, Jeevanjal, asthma medicines in all the twelve health units under the municipality. ‘Due to the absence of the office chief, medicines have not been purchased for a long time. That is why we do not have common medicines now. The in-charges of the health posts have also sent information about the shortage of medicines,’ Paneru said.
‘There is also a budget for the purchase. However, due to the absence of the office chief, the process has not been able to move forward. Currently, we are working by requesting some letters from the district hospital. Which is not enough,’ he said.
Health institutions have reported that there is a shortage of medicines at a time when the cold season has begun in Dolpa, and the pressure of patients with colds and fevers has increased significantly in health institutions. Even the city hospital in the center of the municipality does not have enough medicines.
Although there is some medicine, there is not enough medicine, informed Dr. Sujan Kathayat, who works at the hospital. The municipality, which is now a local government, is running a drug demand drive with the Health Service Office Dolpa. It is said that the office has also been reluctant to provide medicine when asked for repeatedly.
Since the office has to look into all the municipalities along with the district hospital, there is a shortage of medicine in the municipalities and some medicine is sent to them as soon as it is available when requested, said Sizan Rawal, head of the Health Service Office Dolpa. Tripurasundari Municipality has been without an office chief for a month now.
In the absence of the office chief, financial and main administrative work including development plan agreements, disbursement of salaries of teachers and employees, and extension of contract employees have not been able to be done.
