Shopian: As District Hospital (DH) Shopian faces paucity of vitamin A supply, parents in south Kashmir’s Shopian district are compelled to take their children to private hospitals to get the supplement.
The DH SHopian has been facing the paucity of vitamin A supply for the past three months, and despite repeated requested by the parents, the supplement has yet to be made available at the facility.
“This is the third time in a month that I have gone to the facility to have my four-year-old child given the supplement, but to no avail,” said Bilal Ahmad, a miffed parent.
Ahmad said that he had brought the issue to the attention of the hospital authorities umpteen times, but his pleas were not paid heed to.
Javed Ahmad, another parent said that the private hospitals charge exorbitantly for the supplement and many poor parents were not able to take their children to such facilities.
Vitamin A is a vital supplement, which is given to infants and children aged between six months and five years, spacing apart six months, to keep them safe from many health issues including visual impairment.
A health official at DH Shopian said that the supplement had not been available with the facility for more than two months.
“We have sent the requisition for the procurement of the supplement, but have not received it yet,” the official said.