VEHARI: The anti-rabies vaccine has not been available at any of the state-run health facilities of the district, including DHQ and THQ hospitals, rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health units (BHUs), for the last one year.

There is one DHQ and two THQ hospitals in the district as well as 14 RHCs and 74 BHUs – all of which lacked the anti-rabies vaccine.

Source said that at least 12 people, including women and children, had died in the district in the last one month because of non-availability of the vaccine. The situation was worse in the rural areas where villagers were more vulnerable to attacks by stray dogs and snakes.

Areas such as College Town, Muslim Town, People’s Colony, rural area of Luddan, Masani Bagh, Pir Murad, 9-11/WB, Anwarabad, Pakhi Mor and Machiwal, Thingi, Karampur, Sahoka have almost become no-go areas in the evening. The Municipal Committee and other authorities concerned have stopped culling stray dogs for a long time.

Some residents from Thingi, including Nawaz, Khuda Bakhsh, Kaneez Mai, AD Sabir and Rashid told Dawn that when they went to the emergency ward of the DHQ hospital for the anti-rabies vaccine, the staff on duty referred them to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital.

They claimed that around a dozen patients had been referred to Multan in a week due to non-availability of the vaccine. They also said that they had visited about four RHCs and BHUs in various rural areas, but could not find the vaccine.

A DHQ hospital doctor, on condition of anonymity, said that at least 500 to 600 vials were needed in a month for the dozens of dog bite cases the hospital received in a week.

The affluent patients purchased the vaccine from medical stores for Rs4,000 to Rs5,000 per course, while the poor usually tried to cure themselves through faith-healers. DHQ hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Fazil told Dawn that the dog bite vaccine was unavailable throughout Punjab. They had sent reminders to the health authorities, but in vain.

Health Chief Executive Officer Dr Arshad Malik said that the anti-rabies vaccine was provided by the National Institute of Health Islamabad, but in the last one year the vaccine was not available in Islamabad.

Locals demanded Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to provide the anti-rabies vaccine at the state-run hospitals of the district.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018