The shortage of rabies vaccines has caused difficulties for patients bitten by dogs in Bardiya. On December 13, a dog bit 11-year-old Eliza Tharu from Barbardiya Municipality-4, Tarkapur. Her grandfather, Khusiram Tharu, took her to the municipal hospital to get the rabies vaccine but found it out of stock. When he inquired about the vaccine, the hospital informed him that it was unavailable. He expressed his concern, saying, ‘I was worried about where we could go to get the vaccine.’
Due to the delay in the supply of anti-rabies vaccines by the Province Health Logistic Management Center, patients are being forced to leave without receiving the rabies vaccine injection. There is a shortage of rabies vaccine at Bardiya Hospital, Barbardiya Municipality Hospital, Basgadhi Municipality Hospital, and Rajapur Primary Health Center. However, Thakurbaba Municipality has purchased the vaccine through its resources, even though the management center did not send it. Keshav Neupane, the medical recorder at Bardiya Hospital, Guleriya, shared that while the number of patients coming for rabies vaccination has increased, the shortage of vaccines has caused problems. He mentioned that the hospital has been out of vaccines for the past 15 days. Govinda Paudel, the Chief of the health department at Barbardiya Municipality, also stated that there has been a shortage of vaccines at Barbardiya Municipality Hospital for over 10 days. He explained that the anti-rabies vaccine is unavailable at the Province Health Logistic Management Center which has resulted in the hospital not receiving any vaccines. He added, “The Province Health Logistic Management Center has informed us that the vaccine will be sent only in the first week of January.”
Mahesh Tharu, the Chief of the health department at Basgadhi Municipality, informed us that the rabies vaccine has been out of stock for a month. He also mentioned that the province has been contacted to request more vaccines. Suresh Chaulagain, the information officer at Rajapur Primary Health Center, stated that the rabies vaccine ran out on November 9, 2024. He explained that the vaccine arrived on October 30, and it was out of stock within 10 days. Bishnu Gyawali, the Chief of the health department at Thakurbaba Municipality, informed that the vaccines sent by the Province Health Logistic Management Center ran out two months ago. He added that to prevent a shortage of vaccines at the local level, the municipality has purchased 200 vials of the vaccine.
Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal guarantees that no one shall be deprived of emergency health services as part of fundamental rights. Similarly, the Public Health Act 2018 ensures that every citizen has the right to access quality health services in an easy and accessible manner. Article 3 of the same Act states that no citizen shall be deprived of health services. However, the shortage of anti-rabies vaccines at the hospitals has caused difficulties for patients.