Margao locals face risk as anti-rabies vaccines run out of stock at Hospicio
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, DEC 9
Citizens in the Commercial Capital now face the double trouble from stray dogs.
While citizens now run the risk of bitten by stray dogs in the city’s lanes and by-lanes, victims are now forced to run from pillar to post to get anti-rabies vaccination at the Hospicio hospital.;
That the rush for anti-rabies vaccines has been so heavy in recent times, that the vaccines have run out of stock at this government-run hospital.
Thursday saw anti-rabies vaccines running out of stock at Hospicio, leaving many a dog bite victim high and dry.
What left many a victim agitated and turn their tirade against the hospital staff was the fact that no one was aware when the stock would be replenished by the health authorities.
As usual, a number of dog bite victims approached the Hospicio this morning, only to be told about the vaccine shortage and the hospital would receive the stock at around 10.30 am.
A citizen told Herald that the Hospicio staff told him to come around 12.30 pm, but the stock had not arrived at that time. “When the victims again inquired with the hospital staff, we were told to come back at 3.30 pm. Sadly, the injections did not come to the hospital till this evening”, the citizen informed.
When the victims called on the Hospicio Public Relations Officer, he expressed his helplessness in the matter, saying the company supplying the injections has run out of stock. “This explanation is unacceptable. The hospital has to place orders before hand and not wait to place orders after the citizens are attacked by the stray dogs”, remarked another citizen.
Tempers ran high when a hospital nurse told a patient to procure the vaccine from the market.
The matter was later taken up with the Hospital Visiting Committee members Damu Shirodkar and Andrew Sequeria, who inquired with the Hospicio authorities about the drug shortage.
Incidentally, Hospicio doctors in the know informed that the number of dog bite patients has witnessed a substantial rise in recent times, resulting in the shortage of the anti-rabies vaccines.
