Fourteen persons have died of diarrhea in various villages of far-western Jajarkot and Rukkum district in the past 24 hours.

After not getting any treatment, eight persons lost their lives to the killer disease in Jajarkot on Wednesday. With this, the death toll in the district has reached 75. More than 6,000 are reported to be sick.

The deaths occurred less than 24 hours after a Health Ministry team led by Health Minister Umakanta Chaudhary conducted aerial inspection of the district.

The team which included State Minister for Health Khadka Bahadur Sarki and Health Secretary Dirgha Singh Bam reportedly dropped medicine at Thala, an affected village in the district, but returned without meeting the sick. There was not a single doctor or health professional on board the copter that visited the diarrhea-hit region.

Reports quoted health officials as saying that there is a severe shortage of health workers and medicine to contain the spread of diarrhea pandemic in the district. Owing to this the sick are not getting timely treatment, leading to rising number of dead in the district.

According to Kathmandu Post, the health minister even spurned the request of health officials and political parties to provide helicopter so that medicos could reach the disease affected areas quickly.

After being snubbed by the health ministry team, some health workers have eaded for the affected villages on foot.

Some villages in the impoverished district are so far-flung that it takes many days just to reach there on foot.

Meanwhile, reports from Rukkum say the number of those who died of diarrhea in one month has now reached seven.

Six people died in Ward Nos. 2 and 5 of Gotamkot VDC and Ward No. 1 of Purtingkanda VDC of the district on Wednesday. nepalnews.com