Raiganj, Dec. 4: The district hospital here has run out of saline for the past two-and-a-half weeks inconveniencing hundreds of patients and forcing doctors to look for substitutes.

With dextrose saline drips nowhere in sight, the doctors are treating emergency cases with lactate saline. According to the doctors, however, this substitute cannot be used in all cases.

The state of affairs at the hospital has triggered off protests by the relatives of patients who are forced to buy the drip from pharmacies. According to sources working in the hospital store, the male, female and paediatric wards each need at least 2,000 packets of saline each month. The last supplies came in on the first week of November.

The relative of a patient, Bimal Dutta, said he had been buying saline from shops because of the shortage. “Bimal is suffering from dehydration and blackmarketeers are making a killing by selling each pack for Rs 50 instead of Rs 32,” he said.

A doctor said during surgery and treatment of critical cases, especially for the treatment of diarrhoea, the patient needed to be replenished with the sodium contained in dextrose saline. Lactate saline could not be used as a substitute as it contained only potassium.

Hospital superintendent, Sourendranath Guchait said the district health authorities had not responded to his persistent reminders stating the hospital had run out of saline. He, however, said the shortage was temporary.

“We are making do with limited stocks and substitutes, for bulk purchase we have to seek the permission of the chief medical officer of health. We have received an assurance from him that the crisis will be over soon and all varieties of saline would be available,” he said.