Vakathanam: It has been six months since the Vakathanam Government Veterinary Hospital has been functioning without a single doctor. Adding to the crisis, the facility is facing acute shortages of staff and essential medicines.

As a result, the public is forced to travel at least 20 kilometres to avail themselves of the services of a veterinary doctor. Livestock farmers say they face severe neglect when they approach other veterinary hospitals for help.

Farmers also allege that there are plans to set aside the 50 cents of land belonging to the hospital for a stray dog management programme. According to them, tender proceedings for constructing a shelter for stray dogs, jointly initiated by the Madappally and Pampady block panchayats, have already been completed.

Meanwhile, Karshaka Congress Mandalam president Roy Kunnath has announced that a sit-in protest will be staged at the hospital entrance on August 30 against this move.