There has been a shortage of iron tablets, which the government has been distributing free of cost targeting pregnant and postpartum women. Due to this, pregnant women visiting health facilities for check-ups have been returning home disappointed. Although they are aware that iron tablets should be taken during pregnancy, they have been unable to do so because the health posts do not have them in stock.
Bishna Bohora, a resident of Amargadhi Municipality, shared that she has been visiting the health post regularly for check-ups during her pregnancy and the health workers advise her to take iron tablets. However, she has had to return home empty-handed due to the unavailability of the tablets. Keshar Saud, the Chief of the Health Office, Dadeldhura informed that the shortage in Dadeldhura occurred after 200,000 tablets available at the health office were sent to Kailali. According to data from the Health Office, Dadeldhura, there are 2,897 pregnant women in the district and the Government of Nepal has been providing 98 types of medicines free of cost.
Dr. Khagendra Bam, Chief of the Health Directorate, Rajpur, stated that although the concerned authorities were informed about the situation six months ago, the issue remains unresolved. He explained that while they reached out to the federal government on time about the medicine shortage, budget constraints prevented procurement. He also mentioned that they advised local governments to purchase a limited quantity and noted that the provincial government plans to begin procurement only after the 2025/2026 fiscal year budget.