The maternity center at Rohini-1 Bagaha Health Post has been closed after the municipality cut contract service employees.
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After Rohini Rural Municipality in Rupandehi cut temporary and contract employees, the impact has been felt on maternity services.
The maternity center at Rohini-1 Bagaha Health Post has been closed after the staff was cut. The beds and equipment there have been wasted.
The municipality had appointed 4 employees on contract for maternity services at the health post. Two of the employees appointed were nurses trained for maternity services, one sweeper and one watchman. Maternity services have been suspended since October 20 after the staff was cut. Such services had been available at the health post for 7 years.
According to Bagaha Health Post Chief Buddhi Prasad Pantha, the contract period of nursing staff Shanta Gyawali, Khemkumari Mahato, sweeper Bipatkumari Nau and watchman Suddu Lohar was extended in Shrawan last year. The municipality was spending Rs 2 million annually for the remuneration of these employees.
The maternity center was closed after the executive meeting held twice last October canceled the contract agreement citing cost reduction, said Pantha. Beds and other equipment in the maternity center are lying idle due to lack of staff. He said that apart from delivering babies from the health post, services including pregnancy check-ups are continuing.
The Lumbini provincial government has implemented a rule that at least 5 deliveries should be made in maternity centers operating in Terai districts per month. ‘This maternity center never met its target,’ he said. ‘Even though Bhim Hospital and Universal Medical College are 2/3 kilometers away from here, the maternity center has spent a lot of money and achieved little.’
However, locals have said that they are suffering when the facilities available to women at their doorsteps are closed. Pregnant women in the ward say that not all women can reach the district headquarters to receive services. Locals have said that it is unfair to stop the service that women are easily getting except for those with complex conditions.
Health post employees also said that no delivery has taken place in any house in the ward for three years. Pregnant women, except those who had to be referred to larger hospitals due to complex conditions, were receiving services from the maternity center. ‘Now, more and more people are giving birth at home,’ said a female employee working at the health post. ‘They used to come without considering it inconvenient since it is close to home.’ Locals said that it is convenient to get maternity services near their homes. ‘How can we poor people go to a medical college and have a child,’ said Princess Kohor of Rohini-1, ‘The maternity center must be reopened.’
Jagat Bahadur Basnet, Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, said that the executive meeting held on Asoj 22 and 29 decided to cut down on employees who were in excess of the approved posts. He said that 39 employees who were appointed on temporary and contract basis were removed after two executive meetings.
The municipality has stated that the employees were cut based on annual service delivery. Locals have protested that the municipality chairman, Bidya Prasad Yadav, has cut employees who are not in their favor.
