The district hospital building under construction has not been completed on time, forcing patients to undergo treatment in tents. The 50-bed building, which was supposed to be completed in Mangsir 2080, has not been completed yet, forcing patients to undergo treatment in tents.

Shyamsundar-Ramsagar-Nepal Phulbari JV had signed an agreement with the Okhaldhunga Intensive Urban Building Construction Project on Asad 24, 2078 BS to complete the project within 30 months at a cost of Rs 229 million 47 thousand 92 from the federal government. But the problem has arisen due to the delay in the work by repeatedly extending the deadline, said Dr. Puskal Rai, acting chief of the District Hospital Khotang. He said that there are not even the necessary workers at the construction site.  

Due to the lack of a building, patients are forced to be treated in a cramped room in a tent. ‘One and a half to two hundred patients come in a day, and they have to be treated in a cramped room in a tent,’ said Rai. ‘We have to face problems until the building is built. There is no plan to build the building on time as there are no workers at the construction site. That is why the situation is disappointing.’

After being unable to receive treatment at the district hospital, they are forced to pay expensive fees and even charter a helicopter. According to the records of the district hospital, 89 patients have been referred to a well-equipped hospital during this four-month period. ‘Complex patients must be sent to a well-equipped place,’ said Rai. ‘Even though our hospital has manpower, we are forced to send them to a well-equipped place due to lack of equipment and other facilities.’

San Bahadur Rai, chairman of the hospital management committee and head of the Khota District Coordination Committee, said that despite repeated requests to the construction business to complete the building, they have not been able to do so. "The construction company concerned had to complete the building quickly, there was a problem in upgrading the 50-bed hospital, but there was no written or verbal agreement," Rai said, "The state should have taken interest in this, the construction company concerned should have been held responsible."

Koshi Province Health Ministry has provided a budget of Rs 40 million to expand services for the upgrade of the 50-bed hospital, said Koshi Province Physical Infrastructure Development and Health Minister Bhupendra Rai. Rai said that the budget has been allocated for equipment, manpower, blood bank, funeral vehicles, etc. for the upgrade of the hospital. "Forty million rupees have been allocated for equipment, manpower, blood bank, hearse, etc. for the upgrade of the 50-bed hospital," Minister Rai said, "However, there have been problems in implementation as the building has not been completed on time. For this, I am requesting the concerned construction entrepreneurs and the Intensive Urban Building Construction Project, Okhaldhunga to complete the work quickly." In addition, Minister Rai said that 160 million rupees have been allocated for the Ayurveda herbal collection and processing center in the overall health sector of the district.

Suroj Poudel, project chief of the Intensive Urban Building Construction Project, Okhaldhunga, has said that he is writing to the concerned construction company to complete the work quickly. ‘We are writing to the construction company concerned to complete the work as soon as possible,’ said Poudel, ‘The construction company has also said that they can do the work soon.’

Rajesh KC, a member of Nepal Phulbari, one of the companies participating in the construction, said that the work will be completed within the next two to two and a half months. KC said that the work has been delayed because the lift for the hospital had to be brought from India through LC. ‘There is not much work left now, the work of filling and compounding remains, which can also be completed within the next two and a half months,’ said KC, ‘The delay has been caused because the lift had to be brought from India through LC, and that has also arrived.’