LARKANA:The Divisional Monitoring Unit and ARV Center, Larkana, is facing acute shortage of Injection ARV and affected dog bite cases are being deprived of life-saving facility since last few months putting entire cases at high risk.
In this connection, when this scribe visited the Center on Wednesday, it was confirmed that lot of dog bitten patients, including children, were coming to the Center and all of them were told that anti-rabies vaccines (ARV) are out of stock.
A three-year old baby, Kiran, resident of Larkana, was bitten in her ear few days back. Her parents took her to Karachi but she could not survive as there was no treatment as yet of hydrophobia in the world.
In first six months of 2018, as many as 5,583 new cases were reported and treated at the Center along with follow up cases of 12,448 which show the height of problem in entire Larkana district. Astonishingly, the dog bite cases in Larkana Taluka are rising day by day for which no effective measures have been taken to eradicate stray or pye dogs.
Killing of a pye or stray dog costs only Rs 10 to 20 but treating a bitten person costs government more than Rs 3500 in normal conditions when ARV is freely available but even then ARV injections are not available since few months. These injections are only produced by National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, which cannot cope up with the increasing demand.
Up to June 2018, the number of new dog bite cases of Larkana taluka alone were 2,538 and follow-up cases were 6,909. Ratodero taluka new cases were 1,167 and follow-up cases were 2,423, new cases of Dokri taluka were 524 and follow-up cases were 1,514 and 533 new cases surfaced belonging to Bakrani taluka and follow-up cases were 1,749 which really is an alarming situation which need to be tackled on emergency basis.
As many as 9,086 vials were utilized during these six months costing Rs 63,60,200 and 18,031 disposal syringes were used costing Rs 90,155. Total cost of treating entire cases of first six months of 2018 was Rs 64,60,355.
Dr. Nooruddin Qazi, Incharge of the Center, in a letter to higher authorities said that by regular monthly dog killing campaigns we can save huge government amount along with precious lives of innocent and poor patients on high risk even after vaccination.
Dr. Qazi further told this Scribe that Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) is contributing 600 vials monthly, PPHI 500 vials and 60 vials are given to the Center by IHS but due to short supply from NIH patients are returned or they may be procuring from the open market. He said about 1000 new cases are registered monthly excluding follow-up cases which speaks high about the prevailing situation.
Sources said that ARV is imported from India but they too have refused to meet the demand because of their own usage. The vaccine is available in the market but on higher rates and black marketing has become common by the stockists.
CMCH Medical Superintendent Dr. Ali Gohar Dahri said that out of 1000 vials 350 have been received from NIH which were given to the Center. He said ARV shortage is being faced in entire Sindh for which Sindh Government should take efforts to make ARV available.
District Health Officer Dr. Abdul Rahman Baloch said that he had paid Rs 1.5 million to NIH six months back but not a single vial has been received so far which was promised in December 2018. He said Sindh High Court has also taken notice of the issue hearing of which is fixed on 08th January at Karachi.