LARKANA: As many as 32,790 dog bite cases were reported and treated at the ARV Center Larkana during 2018 for which only 14,552 ARV vials were provided by the contributors which include Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), DHO, PPHI and Integrated Health Services (IHS).
The total cost of these vials comes to Rs 11,597,600 per year per single district. Rs 165,155 were also spent on procurement of 33,031 disposable syringes for the affected cases.
In this way, approximately, Rs 12 million are spent annually by the government in each district of Sindh to save precious lives, but it has completely failed to establish its own institute which can manufacture the life-saving drug locally.
The statistics showed that dog bite cases have increased in Larkana taluka as compared to its three other talukas. In first six months of 2018, 2538 cases were reported and during last 6 months, the number was increased to 2619 in Larkana.
From Ratodero, 2082 cases were reported during the same year, 950 from Dokri and 984 cases came from Bakrani. This data has proved that dogs also have started shifting to cities to find food as previously they were found in large numbers in villages and towns.
Dr Ali Gohar Dahri, CMCH Medical Superintendent (MS) said that previously municipalities used to carry out annual drive to eliminate stray and pye dogs but this task had perhaps been abandoned since last few years resulting in increase in dog bite cases and consumption of more Anti-Rabbies Vaccines (ARV) costing more taxpayer’s money.
He said only one National Institute of Health (NIH) was producing these vaccines in Pakistan, but it could fulfill the requirement, hence, Injection ARV is procured from open market on exorbitant rates to save precious lives as medical store owners are involved in black-marketing the medicine due to short supply. He said; “Killing a stray dog costs only Rs 10 but treatment of dog bitten cases is very expensive for a poverty-stricken person.”
Dr Nooruddin Qazi, Incharge of the Center said that since December 2018, an acute shortage had been noticed as many bitten people were sent back due to unavailability of the life-saving drugs and they might had purchased it from the market.
In open market, this vaccine is being sold at Rs 1200 per vial instead of Rs 700 which is beyond the reach of poor masses who are mostly affected by stray dogs. The Sindh government must take concrete steps in this regard to save precious lives and taxpayer’s hard earned money without loss of further time.