Banke, November 2:
Lack of transport facility has threatened the lives of cerebral malaria patients in remote villages of Banke.
Teams of medical experts reached the villages yesterday and have started conducting tests and treatment. However, 12 patients whom they had referred for special treatment in Nepalgunj have not been able to go there due to lack of transport facility.
Head of the District Public Health Office, Banke, Jay Bahadur Karki, said medical teams had referred the malaria patients to Nepalgunj yesterday.
The teams, however, could not be sure which villages those 12 patients were from.
Advisor to the Health Ministry, Dr Mahesh Maskey, said they were working to bring the serious patients to Nepalgunj on a helicopter.
“We are trying to ferry the patients to Nepalgunj but there is no helicopter in Nepalgunj at the moment,” Dr Maskey said.
“I have talked to the Prime Minister on this regard but nothing has happened as yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Usha Shah, chief of the Bheri zonal hospital told a press conference here that they would provide free treatment to malaria patients.
Director General of the Department of Health, Dr Mahendrakeshari Chhetri, expressed hope that they would be able to control the disease soon.
“We have dispatched enough equipment and medicines for the villages,” he said, adding that the remoteness of the villages and the Rapti river has affected the treatment process.
Malaria was detected in 82 of the 255 blood samples. Of them 39 were found to have P Falsiperam and 43 were infected with P Vivex malaria.
An experts’ team headed by Dr Suman Thapa has set up health camps in Fattehpur, Nairanapur and Holiya VDCs.
The Himalayan Times
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