At a time when dog menace is on a rise, all the government hospitals in Rajouri and Poonch districts are facing acute shortage of anti-rabies vaccine, forcing people to purchase the vaccine from private shops.
Sources within the health department told Greater Kashmir: “Since around a year, the government hospitals in the Rajouri district lack anti-rabies vaccine. There is no stock available.”
“Generally, the vaccine remains available at the district hospital and sub-district hospitals, but since a year now, the hospital does not have any stock of the vaccine,” they said, adding that the issue has been taken up with the higher authorities multiple times, “but nothing has been done yet”.
Sources further informed that the situation is the same in Poonch district. “The vaccine was available in some hospitals till November, but ever since, the vaccine has been out of stock,” they said.
On being contacted via the district administration, the chief medical officer, Rajouri, confirmed that the hospitals are suffering due to the vaccine being out of stock. “Anti-rabies vaccine is not available in the health institutions across Rajouri district. This office has already taken up the issue with the Jammu and Kashmir medical supplies corporation, Jammu, but the office is yet to receive any supply,” an official communication from the office of chief medical officer, Rajouri, read.
Similarly, on being contacted, the chief medical officer, Poonch, DrMumtaz Bhatti told Greater Kashmir that he managed to arrange some vaccines for the area a while ago, but there has been no vaccine in the district since the past three months. “We try to help the poor people in purchasing vaccine from private shops, but presently the vaccine is out of stock at the government hospitals,” he added.
Pertinently, due to the shortage of the vaccine, the people living below poverty line are the most affected. They urged upon the governor’s administration to look into the issue and replenish the stock at an earliest.