Kathmandu, Nov. 25 -- year-old woman from Maijubahal in Kathmandu reached the Gaurighat-based urban health promotion centre to get the medicines for hypothyroidism. Health workers serving there told her that thyroxine 50 mg was out of stock and instead offered the drug's 25 mg version, asking her to take two tablets once.

"The woman refused to take the medicine saying that she cannot take two tablets at once," said Niruta Kumari Shrestha, pharmacy assistant serving at the centre. "A lot of patients visit our centre for free medicines, but we provide only the medicines that are in the government's list of free essential medicines."

Though medicines of hypothyroidism are not in the government's list of 98 free essential medicines, the Kat...