Dog bite victims face ARV shortage

Closure of immunisation centre leads to confusion over responsibility

LAHORE:

Dog bite patients across the province are suffering due to non-availability of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) since the Rabies Immunisation Centre (RIC) Punjab was shut down five months ago.

According to sources, the Punjab Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department had closed down the centre through a notification, announcing that teaching hospitals had been given the responsibility to provide the vaccine to patients under a new policy.

However, non-availability of the vaccine and lack of interest by the health department has forced the dog bite victims to purchase it from markets at high prices. Around 20,000 incidents of dog bite are reported in Punjab annually.

The vaccine should be provided free of charge at the hospitals, but the patients are being compelled to buy it from private medical stores for Rs7,000 to Rs10,000. The sources suspected that elements in the health department were fleecing the patients by forcing them to purchase expensive medicines from specific medical stores. They said the government should consider reopening the immunisation centre to ensure availability of the vaccine free of cost to patients who could not afford to buy it.

“RIC officials were surprised over the order as it was the only centre in the province that was providing vaccine to around 20,000 patients that suffer dog bites during a year on average,” an officer of Punjab health department said.

“The Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department instructed us that now instead of the RIC all teaching hospitals would be responsible to provide ARV free of cost, but the patients are complaining of non-availability of the vaccine at the hospitals. Patients from remote areas still visit the immunisation centre but find it shut.”

The officer said some big hospitals in Lahore and other cities were only providing one dose of the vaccine to the dog bite patients and asking them to buy the remaining two doses from private pharmacies. The medical stores are selling one injection for up to Rs4,000.

Three doses of the vaccine are given to each patient. According to doctors, the first dose of ARV is required within a day after the dog bite, the second dose on the third day and third dose after seven days.

"If the three doses are not given to the dog bite patients in time then there is a high danger of rabies. There is no treatment available if rabies inflicts the patient,” said an official of the RIC.

When contacted, the Punjab health minister’s spokesperson Sayed Hamad Raza said the health department would ensure the availability of the vaccine at hospitals. He denied shortage of the vaccine at teaching hospitals and said they were providing treatment to the patients.

According to a report prepared by the Special Branch, 11 deaths took place in Punjab due to dog bite last year. The chief minister also took notice of the issue last year.

"We have the facility of first injection of rabies vaccine at the Lahore General Hospital but the arrangements for the next doses were made at the RIC,” said the hospital’s spokesman Zahid Chaudhry.

The hospital administrations are also unclear about the latest situation regarding provision of the vaccine after the provincial immunisation centre discontinued its services.

The main victims of the confusion are the patients who need immediate treatment.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2020.