Although the building was completed and inaugurated on November 29, 2080, Panchthar Hospital has not been able to start services at full capacity due to the lack of necessary equipment and skilled manpower.
What you should know
Although Panchthar District Hospital has the infrastructure to operate a 50-bed service, the government has only approved 15 beds.
In 2074 BS, the provincial government decided to upgrade the district hospital from 15 to 50 beds and provided a budget, and a new building was constructed at a cost of Rs. 220 million.
Although the building was completed and inaugurated on 29 Mangsir 2080 BS, the service has not been able to start at full capacity due to the lack of necessary equipment and skilled manpower.
Currently, the hospital has 97 employees. Of these, 40 are appointed by the Hospital Development Committee. Of the doctors specializing in orthopedics and neurology, general surgery, pediatrics and anesthesia, three are government employees and two are appointed by the committee. With this manpower, the hospital is currently operating 66 beds.
Service recipients complain that the hospital, which has been providing care services by admitting four times more patients than its approved capacity, has not been able to provide satisfactory facilities. 'We have to wait for hours to get a simple test done.' It takes from 10 am to 3 pm for blood and urine test reports, says Dambar Bahadur Magar of Falelung-5, “General patients are also referred. Even though there is a building, equipment and expert manpower are required.”
There is a building, no service
Even after a year of construction of a 5-bed hospital building in Falelung Rural Municipality, the service has not been started due to lack of manpower and equipment. Currently, a sub-health post is being operated in the same building.
Basic hospitals are in operation in Miklajung and Hilihang Rural Municipality of Panchthar. Both have one doctor and health workers. Kummayak Rural Municipality has already filled the posts of doctors for the 15-bed hospital under construction, while Falgunanda Rural Municipality has demanded health workers to operate the 5-bed hospital.
New hospital buildings are being constructed in Hilihang and Yangwarak. But the work has not been able to move forward due to the delay of the construction businessmen and lack of budget. Madan Gautam of Hilihang-3 says, ‘There is a hospital building and doctors, but due to the lack of equipment, patients other than ordinary patients are referred to the district hospital.’
Tumbewa Rural Municipality has not been able to start the construction process of a 5-bed basic hospital. Chairman Baburam Khadka said that despite the foundation stone being laid, the construction has not progressed due to problems in land management. ‘We are continuously trying to complete the land management and operate the hospital,’ he said. As the district’s hospitals and health institutions are unable to provide all the necessary services, locals are forced to travel from Dharan, Biratnagar, Birtamod to Siliguri in India for treatment.
