August 25, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 11, 1428

DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 24: Anti-snake venom vaccine is unavailable at the emergency ward of the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital and people have to purchase the costly antidote from the open market.

Several people are bitten by snakes in July and August and as a result the DHQ hospital has to provide the anti-snake venom vaccine to more people, but the antidote’s unavailability raises the risk of affected people’s death. Moreover, the vaccine costs Rs1,600 and therefore it is out of poor people’s reach.

A dispenser at the hospital’s emergency ward said most snake victims come from rural and hilly areas. He said the number of such cases increased in July and August and the hospital received three to five snake victims everyday.

Liaqat Ali, a blind man from Mauza Khand of the Rakhi Munh tribal area, was bitten by a snake and was brought to the hospital for treatment. The hospital authorities told his attendant that the vaccine was short. As a result, the attendant had to run from pillar to the post to buy the vaccine instead of attending his critical patient.

Baqir and Farooq, who were also bitten by snakes and later brought to the hospital for treatment, said they too had to buy the anti-snake venom vaccine from their own pocket because the hospital was short of it. DHQ hospital’s medical superintendent was not available for comment.

However, District Coordination Officer Irum Bokhari, who also oversees supply of medicines to the DHQ hospital, said the hospital was completely dependent on the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, for the antidote. She said the district government had no budget for the lifesaving drug and the antidote supplied by the National Institute of Health was not enough to meet hospital’s need. As a result, people have to suffer, she added.