Blockade induced medicine shortage affects hospitals across country

Hospitals across the country are facing shortage of medicines due to the unofficial blockade being imposed by India. This has affected the whole treatment procedures at medical institutions. The medicines which were stored in Nepal itself have not been ferried to hospitals due to the fuel crunch. Pharmaceutical entrepreneurs have informed that the medicines available at present would only last for the next one-and-a-half weeks. On the other hand, the shortage is also attributed to people under medication purchasing medicines in lump sum amounts. Nearly 60 per cent of medicines consumed in Nepal are brought from India. At present, there is shortage of IV and life protection medicines, utensils used in surgeries, anesthetics and medicines for emergency use. The Department of Drug Administration has informed that medicines imported from third countries were also stranded at the border areas. Many hospitals of the capital have already informed the government about the shortage of drugs. However, the government bodies have not taken up any concrete measure to address the problem.