Guru Nanak Hospital runs out of anti-rabies, vaccines stock

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 14

Patients at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here are not getting injections for immunising their children. Employees concerned say the hospital has run out of stock of anti-rabies and other injections.

Swaran Singh, a resident of the Mustafabad area, said his son Daljit Singh was bitten by a stray dog. He said when he visited the hospital the staff at the counter stated that anti-rabies vaccines were not available.

“They even failed to disclose that when these will be available. I took a day off from work to get my child vaccinated,” said Swaran, who works as daily wager.

Other people waiting outside the paediatric ward, including Pamma Singh, Mohinder Singh, Jagir Singh and Baldev Singh, who had also brought their children for vaccination, shared the same experience. Pamma said, “The five-in-one injection is also not available.” He said the government claimed to provide medicines and vaccinations free of cost, but people had to face harassment when these were not in stock.

When contacted, hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Ram Sarup Sharma, admitted that shortage of anti-rabies vaccine had surfaced today. He said stocks could not be replenished in time as pharmacists were on a mass leave due the last two days protest.

About child immunization, he said, “I will inquire into the matter from the pediatric wing and make sure that vaccines are available at all times.” All injections would be made available by tomorrow as the new stock had been arranged today, he added.