Madhesh Province’s 11 provincial hospitals, along with other government health institutions, are facing a shortage of anti-rabies (ARV) vaccines, forcing patients bitten by dogs to seek costly treatment.
According to Dr. Nagendra Yadav, Chief of the Madhesh Province Health Supply Management Centre, the federal government has not supplied anti-rabies vaccines to Madhesh Province for the past six months. The federal government has allocated a monthly quota of 7,500 vials of anti-rabies vaccine for 44 hospitals and health institutions in the province. However, it has been supplying only 2,000, 2,500, or sometimes 5,000 vials, and currently no health institution has received any vaccine, he said.
Dr. Yadav informed that the 759 vials of anti-rabies vaccine purchased by the Madhesh Province Government from the budget allocated for the current fiscal year 2025/26 were exhausted within a few days. He said that the shortage persists across the province due to the lack of supply from the federal government. Although the ministry has repeatedly urged the federal authorities to provide vaccines, the problem has continued because the supplier has failed to deliver the vaccines to the centre.
Ram Ekwaal Yadav of Mithila Municipality–6 said that patients have been forced to purchase anti-rabies vaccines from private sources, paying between Rs. 600 and Rs. 700 for a single dose. He said the government’s failure to provide the vaccine free of charge on time has placed an additional financial burden on patients.
Similarly, Kaushila Devi Mishra of Kamala Municipality–2 said she had to borrow money to purchase the vaccine due to a lack of funds, which has caused her significant mental stress. She said that after the free vaccine became unavailable at government hospitals, patients bitten by dogs have been compelled to buy the vaccine from private health institutions at high prices.
Dr. Jamun Prasad Singh, Medical Superintendent of the Provincial Hospital Janakpurdham, said the hospital has been facing difficulties because it has not received vaccines from the higher authorities. He added that due to the shortage, the hospital has been forced to refer patients elsewhere for vaccination.