Lack of life-saving medicines, most of which are imported from India and third countries, has hit Nepal's hospitals and medical stores due to a continuing strike which has entered the 13th day on Tuesday.

The strike, called by the seven political parties, has affected the import of life-saving medicines and other types of drugs, importers said.

Kishor Pradhan of Cipla Instyle Trading Concern (CITC), an importer of medicines from India, told reporters here Tuesday that import has come to a complete halt since April 6, which has created a shortage of medicines in the country.

The country has run short of drugs like heart medicine and saline, Pradhan said.

Nepal heavily depends on import of drugs which meets about 70 percent of the demand, according to Pradhan.

Some of the imported medicines are codeine, morphine, methadone, among others. If the current strike continues for a few more days, it will create havoc for medicine supply in the country, Pradhan warned.

Kishor Dev Acharya, chief of Pharmacy Department of Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital, also said the ongoing strike has already created a shortage of "imported medicines."

He said Nepal's domestic production can meet only about 30 percent of the total demand.

"If the strike continues, it is more than likely that we shall see a shortage in domestically produced medicines as well soon," Acharya said.

Radha Raman Rasa, a senior drug specialist at the Department of Drug Administration (DDA), told reporters that there is sufficient stock of drugs at Birgunj transit point, bordering with India, some 100 km south of Kathmandu.

However, difficulties over transportation might have affected the smooth supply of medicines, Rasa said.

According to importers, Nepal's pharma market is growing at the rate of 10 percent annually. A total of 150 dealers import medicines from abroad.

Source: Xinhua