Ruplal Oli, 50, of Kharkhola Langeta, Kumakh Rural Municipality-2, was suffering from fever two weeks ago. Since there was no medical or basic health unit center near his house, his family carried him to a road that was accessible by car, half an hour away from his house. Even after waiting for half an hour, the car did not come.

After not getting a vehicle on time, the panicked family carried the patient and walked for two and a half hours to the health facility in Neta Bazaar. After the health workers examined Oli and gave him Citamol, the family members sent him home. Now that his fever has subsided, he can move around the house normally.

Not only Oli, but also the locals of Kharkhola Langeta are forced to walk two and a half hours to the health facility for general health care due to the lack of a medical and health post near the settlement. After walking for a long time, the locals now go to the health post in Neta Bazaar. Due to the geographical remoteness and the lack of maintenance of the road for vehicles, the locals are forced to walk for hours to the health facility for general treatment.

Although the government introduced the concept of basic health centers so that patients can get health care near their homes, the municipality has not been able to arrange for them in all places, but the locals are deprived of basic health services. More than 30 households in Kharkhola Langeta are being affected due to the lack of a health facility near the settlement. They have been suffering for general health care since the past.

Earlier, the health post was in Swikot, and even though the municipality had set up a health post in Neta Bazaar, it was not suitable for them, said Sita Oli, 40, of Langeta. She informed that since the health facility in Neta Bazaar could not be opened and treated, sometimes they are forced to go back to Mission Hospital, Chaurjahari.

'When you have to walk uphill, downhill and through the forest for a long time for basic treatment, ordinary patients get sicker. Even those who carry patients get sicker," she said. 'Pregnant women are in even more trouble because the health facility is far away. Pregnant women are not able to get regular check-ups. Not only that, sometimes pregnant women give birth unsafely on the way to the health facility.'

Rama Oli, 55, said that due to the distance to the health facility, she has problems traveling and stays at home if she gets a fever or cold. She informed that no interest has been shown so far despite repeated requests to the concerned bodies to operate a basic health unit center.

'After the government launched a program to build a 15-bed basic hospital in each municipality so that locals can get health services from specialist doctors near their homes, a building has been constructed near Ragechaur in Kumakh Rural Municipality. The municipality has operated a five-bed hospital for the convenience of the locals. But even that is far away and the service is not available as promised, so the problem has not been solved. Since the health institutions are far away, they are forced to go to Chaurjahari Hospital and Nepalgunj for specialist services,' she said.

Ward member Lal Bahadur Rawat said that although the locals of Kharkhola Langeta have been demanding the operation of a health institution nearby for their convenience, it has not been fulfilled. Due to geographical remoteness, they have to be far from the access to local health services and they have to lose their lives prematurely if they do not receive timely treatment.

'Road construction was started so that the locals could easily travel to and from hospitals and health institutions. More than 5 million rupees were spent over a few years. If the road had been completed, they could have reached the local health institution in half an hour by car. The lack of road maintenance and improvement has made the problem worse,' he said.