Patients with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental illness have been deprived of free medicines at health institutions in Salyan for three months after the provincial government failed to send them.
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There has been a shortage of medicines used for family planning, including blood pressure, sugar, and mental illness, which are distributed free of charge in the district hospital and all health institutions at the municipal level for the past three months.
As the provincial government has not yet sent the medicines that are distributed free of charge, there has been a shortage of medicines used by chronic patients in health institutions including the District Hospital Salyan. Patients with blood pressure, sugar, and mental illness across the district have been affected due to the shortage of medicines. Patients with chronic diseases have been forced to buy medicines from private medical institutions at high prices for the past three months.
Prem Budha, 53, of Bangad Kupinde Municipality-9, said that he had to buy them after he stopped getting free medicines at hospitals and health institutions. He said that patients with sugar and blood pressure spend more than Rs 1,000 a month on the medicines they get for free. ‘Since we no longer get free medicines from health institutions and there are not enough medical facilities nearby, we have to pay Rs 150 in an auto to Khalanga, the district headquarters. The fare to and from home is only Rs 300. There is no accounting for lunch and other expenses. Traveling in an auto for a long time is just as painful,’ she said.
A 45-year-old mentally ill woman from Sharda Municipality-2 said that even though the government promises to provide free medicines, she always returns empty-handed when she goes to the hospital. Not only does buying medicines from the medical center increase the financial burden, but regular check-ups are also affected, she said.
‘It has been 6 years since I started taking medicines regularly. In the beginning, it was okay to get them free from hospitals and health institutions. Now, I have to worry about how I will make money when I have to buy them from the medical center,’ she said. ‘I don’t have my own income. It is okay to run the household with the money my husband earns.’ There is no money at the time. Sometimes, we miss meals for a few days because we cannot buy medicine on time. He complains that even though the government says that health services are free, it is limited to that name only.
Subash Hamal, head of the health department of Kapurkot rural municipality, said that there is a shortage of not only sugar, blood pressure, and mental illness medicines but also medicines used for family planning in all health institutions of the municipality. He informed that the municipality provided them to chronic patients during the camp operation after the provincial government did not send them. He said that 300 chronic patients in the municipality have been affected by the lack of medicines.
Yagya Bahadur Basnet, head of the health department of Darma rural municipality, said that since the free medicines were not available in the health institutions, they were deprived of regular intake due to their weak financial condition. He said that not only this year but every year, there is a shortage of some medicines from time to time due to the delay in sending medicines. He said, ‘Chronic patients keep asking whether the medicines have arrived or not.’ We are forced to comfort them and send them home.' He said that other medicines purchased by the municipality are sufficient.
Head of the Health Service Office, Salyan, Dr. Arjun Budha Magar, said that there is a shortage of medicines for blood pressure, sugar, mental illness, and other diseases because the provincial government has not sent the 98 types of medicines to be distributed free of charge from the hospital this time.
He said that patients who come to the hospital for treatment have to buy them from the medical and hospital pharmacies. 'There are many patients with chronic diseases in Salyan. Out of the 98 types of medicines that the provincial government should send for free distribution, there is a shortage of medicines for blood pressure, sugar, and mental illness,' he said. 'The medicines that should have arrived at the beginning of the financial year have not arrived yet. We have repeatedly requested the provincial government. They have said that they will arrive by Asad 15, but we do not know when they will arrive.'
The Health Department under the Ministry of Social Development of the Karnali Province Government has stated that due to some delay in the procurement of medicines, it has not been able to send the medicines to the district on time. The ministry claims that the department is preparing to send the medicines within the next two/three days.
