Mumbai’s peripheral civic hospitals are facing a critical shortage of Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV), with the current stock expected to last only five to seven days. The shortage comes amid a noticeable surge in dog bite cases across the city.

Despite the growing demand, the BMC’s central medical store in Kanjurmarg, its main ARV supplier, is reportedly out of stock. “It’s been almost a month since we’ve been told to buy ARVs locally. The central purchase department hasn’t procured vials, so the central store hasn’t received any,” said Dr Vinod Khade, medical superintendent of K B Bhabha Hospital, Bandra. Echoing similar concerns, Dr Nitiraj Mane, CMO at Shri Harilal Bhagwati Hospital, Borivli, said, “Every Monday, our pharmacist would restock ARVs from the central store. But for the past few weeks, we’ve had to turn to other BMC vendors as the central supply has dried up.”