Cancer patients still don’t get medicines, complains lawmaker Thapaliya

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress lawmaker Sita Thapaliya has demanded a clarification from the government stating that cancer patients are facing serious problems in treatment due to the shortage of essential medicines cisplatin and carboplatin.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Minister Bhandari said that although the Minister of Health and Population had inspected the Department of Drug Administration and directed to take necessary instructions after raising the issue in the House of Representatives, the patients have been complaining that they have not received medicines yet.

“Even today, patients and their families across the country are complaining that they have not received cisplatin. Yesterday, a patient who went to Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital for chemotherapy contacted us asking for medicine,” she said.

Lawmaker Thapaliya put three questions to the Minister of Health and Population and asked him to make public the information about which hospitals and medicine centres Cisplatin is available at present. She also urged the government to clarify what is the short-term and long-term plan of the government to prevent the recurrence of shortage of essential cancer drugs such as cisplatin and carboplatin.

She also sought information about the progress made so far in the inspection and approval process of the companies directed by the minister and when the supply of medicines would be improved.

“The Minister should make it clear to the august House about the easy access of essential medicines to the patients,” she said. I request the concerned authorities not only to give instructions to the minister but also to know whether the patient has received the medicine or not. ’

Lawmaker Thapaliya urged the government to take immediate and effective steps as there is a shortage of medicines required for the treatment of serious diseases like cancer.