Kathmandu, June 10 -- Gayatri Pandey, a resident of Nala in Kavrepalanchok district travelled to Kathmandu on Wednesday for a rabies shot after health facilities in her district ran out of vaccine doses. She first visited Scheer Memorial Hospital in Banepa and health facilities in Dhulikhel, but none had the vaccine in stock.

"I paid Rs1,000 in a private pharmacy for a shot," complained the 55-year-old, who was bitten by a stray dog a week ago.

"For the second dose also, I had reached those health facilities, but they turned me away saying that they do not even know when vaccine supplies will arrive. I was compelled to come to Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Hospital in Kathmandu for a vaccine."

Rabies is preventable if the anti-rabie...