Health threat: LRH out of dog bite vaccine

Patients told to buy anti-rabies injections from market

PESHAWAR: Vaccine for dog bite is unavailable in the largest public health facility of the province, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) causing immense difficulties for the people.

Hospital sources said that seven dog-bite victims including two children were brought to LRH on Monday, but they were asked to get the medicine from market because it was unavailable in the hospital’s pharmacy.

Rabies, caused by bite of an infected dog, is an irreversible condition leading to a very painful death for victim.

The hospital administration has requested K-P DG Health through District Health Office for arranging the anti-rabies medicine for the patients.

On Express’s contact, hospital spokesperson Zulfiqar Baba Khel told that currently stock isn’t available in the hospital, DG Health has been requested to make arrangements for this.

The provincial authorities have not fulfilled the supply order of 300 vials of the rabies vaccine sent in February this year.

In many district headquarters hospitals of the province, there has never been any supply of rabies vaccine.

At least 120 victims of dog bite are to LRH each month, sources said.

According to the health department’s report in this matter, just in the current year from January till June, total of 26,309 cases of rabid-dog bites were reported, whereas 67,086 cases were reported in 2017.

Despite strict instructions of the department, large district headquarters hospital could not purchase anti-rabies serum.

Sources say that the company which was selected by health department under MCC for LRH also excused on the availability of the vaccine. While on the other side hospital has finished the stock of last May’s anti-rabies injections in October.

According to the sources, currently aforementioned vaccine is being imported from India, however due to unfavourable political situation, Pakistan could not get the vaccine. Apart from that, except for India, this vaccine isn’t prepared anywhere in the world due to which availability of this vaccine has become a major issue. Sources say that although hospital is financially and administratively self-sufficient and hospital’s board of governance’s Chairman Doctor Nosherwan Burki who is close relative of PM Imran Khan couldn’t raise the issue on federal level.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2018.