MP Ganesh Poudel Highlights Severe Shortage of Free Medicines in Government Health Institutions

Kathmandu. Member of Parliament Ganesh Poudel of Rastriya Swatantra Party has drawn the government's attention to the severe shortage of free medicines in government health institutions. Speaking at the meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee on Thursday, MP Poudel stated that medicines supposed to be distributed free of charge by the Ministry of Health are not available in lower-level health centers. He mentioned that during his monitoring of health institutions in his constituency, it was found that the stock of free medicines was zero in some places. In the meeting, MP Poudel also discussed the dire situation of impoverished citizens suffering from complex diseases, especially cancer. Stating that patients are under severe mental stress due to their inability to afford treatment due to financial constraints, he said that the 100,000 rupees treatment subsidy provided by the state is insufficient and cumbersome. He objected to the fact that the subsidy promised by the Madhesh Province government is not received on time and patients have to wait for years. MP Poudel said, 'Chandraput Hospital receives an annual budget of approximately 1.7 million rupees for medicines from the federal government, but due to the central location of the hospital, there is a demand for more than 10 million rupees worth of medicines annually, even with patients coming from neighboring municipalities.' Emphasizing that the government needs to make special policy arrangements to bridge the gap between the budget and demand, he asked, 'What plans has the Ministry of Health made to ensure that the poor truly receive treatment and the right to live?' MP Poudel also drew the committee's attention to the severe problem of snakebites in the Madhesh Province. Stating that patients are dying prematurely in Rautahat due to the lack of proper treatment centers, he demanded that a reliable arrangement for snakebite treatment be made, at least in the barracks of the Nepali Army.