Muktsar Civil Hospital sans anti-rabies serum

Archit Watts

Muktsar, June 29

Despite the fact that the number of dog bite incidents are rising, the civil hospital in Muktsar is sans the anti-rabies serum. As a result, the patients are being referred to other hospitals.

Notably, the Central Government has instructed all the states and union territories to guarantee the availability of anti-rabies serum in all government hospitals and health centres.

Sources in the local civil hospital, which is also called the district hospital, said that nearly 30 patients of animal bites, mostly of dogs, were coming to the hospital daily.

“We have the availability of anti-rabies vaccine, but the anti-rabies serum is out of stock. Anti-rabies serum is administered in cases where there is risk of severe exposure after contact with a rabid or presumed to be rabid animal. We are presently referring such cases to Faridkot. A patient, who needed anti-rabies serum, had come yesterday and was sent to Gidderbaha,” he said.

On this, Dr Rahul Jindal, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at Civil Hospital, Muktsar, said, “As per the online records, the anti-rabies serum is out of stock at the Regional Drug Warehouse in Bathinda. Our team will go there on Monday and try to bring some stock if there is any availability by that time.”

Notably, this anti-rabies serum is administered in conjunction with anti-rabies vaccine without any cost at the government institutes.

A local resident Chandan Pathela said, “One of my workers suffered from dog bite and was taken to the local civil hospital yesterday, but the doctors there referred him to Faridkot.”