Panchapuri Municipality in Surkhet did not extend the tenure of its contract employees from last July 1. With the termination of contract employees, 12 health institutions in the municipality have now closed.

The health institutions opened with the aim of providing health services in the tolls have been closed, and the service recipients have been affected. Six basic health service centers and six community health service units have been closed here.

Panchapuri Municipality has not extended the term of 128 contractual employees, leaving only 41 health employees. Of these, 74 were teachers and 13 were employees working in the municipality.

The municipality has removed the contractual employees in accordance with the Local Service Act issued by the Karnali Provincial Government. 'There was a provision that the contracts of employees whose service period has expired will not be extended due to the provincial Local Service Act, and the extension has not been done,' said Mayor Lalbir Bhandari, 'The removal of employees has caused problems in service delivery.' According to him, the health sector has been hit the hardest. He said that the municipality has been forced to remove employees due to low internal income. 'This has had a major impact on health and education,' he said, 'The municipality has now taken forward the work of ONM. We are making a plan to maintain it with internal income.'

The service period of the contract employees working in Chokune Rural Municipality is until mid-Poush, says the municipality's chairman Khadak BK. 'The local government has been hit by the provincial government's act,' said chairman BK, 'After the contract employees are removed, the health institutions have to be closed. The people have been greatly betrayed.' He said that the reduction of contract employees will only add to the problem at a time when citizens are suffering for services in remote municipalities.

Kalikot's Khadachak Municipality has also removed 51 employees with effect from Shrawan 1. Health institutions have been the most affected by the removal of contract employees. Acting Chief Administrative Officer Jasi Prasad Chaulagain said that some health institutions are forced to operate with a single employee. According to him, along with service recipients, employees who work alone have also been hit. 

He informed that even though the situation of closing health institutions has created a situation where health institutions are closed, the municipality has opened advertisements only for health employees. ‘We had to provide services to the service recipients,’ he said, ‘after the health service was stopped, we have started the recruitment process by opening a new advertisement.’

Kalikot’s Sannitriveni Rural Municipality also removed contract employees with effect from Kartik 1. The municipality has removed 31 employees from other sectors along with health. According to Information Officer Ram Prasad Sanjayal, the municipality has removed contract employees outside the posts. Although there was a problem in the service flow due to the removal of employees, he said that work is being carried out from there as there are employees in Fazil. According to him, work is being carried out regularly as all the employees are as per the posts.

Dharmajit Thapa, a local of Panchapuri Municipality-1, has complained that he has been forced to take services from Salkot Hospital after the village health institution was closed. He said that he has been forced to travel more than three hours to get Citamol.

With the removal of contractual employees, it is becoming difficult for citizens to get basic health services. Basic health services such as safe childbirth and family planning should be provided by each ward. Uday BC of the District Public Health Office, Surkhet says, ‘With the removal of contractual employees, there has been a problem in service delivery. It has become difficult for locals to get health services.’