Due to a shortage of ORS at the District Hospital in Bajura for the past week, patients have been forced to buy it at high prices from local medical stores. They have complained that the medicine that the government is required to provide mandatorily at free of cost, has to be purchased from the market. Khemraj Saud of Badimalika Municipality-5 complained that after not getting ORS at the hospital, he was forced to buy it twice at high prices from the market.
District Hospital Information Officer Nripa Giri said that since the existing stock of ORS has run out, a new procurement process has already been tendered, and it is expected that the medicine will be available to patients within about a month. He further stated that although the Bajura Health Office had provided 100 packets of ORS on an emergency basis, due to the large number of patients, the supply was distributed within just two days.
Since ORS contains essential elements such as potassium and sodium, it is mandatory for patients suffering from diarrhea, dengue, and malaria. However, due to the current shortage, patients have been compelled to purchase it at high prices from private medical stores. The hospital stated that with the rise in seasonal illnesses, the demand for ORS has also sharply increased.