सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Gandaki. It has been a year since the construction of a 15-bed basic hospital building in Annapurna Rural Municipality of Kaski. There is no decision on when the hospital building, built at a cost of crores, will be operational.
Rishiram Poudel, the health coordinator of the rural municipality, said that the plan to operate the hospital is in doubt due to lack of manpower and equipment.
‘Although 20 people, including three medical officers, have been appointed, we do not have the manpower, and there is also a shortage of equipment and other resources required for the hospital,’ he said. ‘The attention of the federal and provincial governments has been drawn to this, it is not possible for the local level alone to operate a basic hospital.’
The coordinator Poudel said that the rural municipality itself has invested in the insufficient amount for the construction of the building and some furniture management. He said that the government should come up with a concrete plan for the operation of the hospital as the problems of basic hospitals across the country, not only in Annapurna, are similar.
He said that public complaints are also increasing due to the situation where a well-equipped building is constructed but the hospital is not operated. A basic hospital building worth Rs 180 million is also awaiting operation in Paunditari, the center of Badigad Rural Municipality in Baglung.
Rural Municipality Chairman Gandaki Thapa Adhikari has been reaching out to the provincial and federal governments for the operation of the hospital.
‘Initiatives are being taken to provide manpower and equipment, assurances are being made, but implementation is not on time,’ he said. ‘How can we run the hospital if we only ask the local level to operate it without resources?’
Chairman Adhikari said that operating the 15-bed hospital at full capacity will cost Rs 50 million annually. He said that five pieces of equipment have been requested from the Ministry of Health to operate dialysis services from the hospital.
‘A medical person has been requested from the provincial government, while the rural municipality will manage some of the manpower itself,’ said Chairman Adhikari, ‘There is a plan to operate dialysis services targeting kidney patients in the western part of Baglung.’
Citizens of rural areas are still forced to rely on Dhawalagiri Hospital in the district headquarters for dialysis services. Chairman Adhikari said that 64 people from six local levels of West Baglung, including Badigad, are currently receiving dialysis services from outside hospitals.
The government has spent crores of rupees to build basic facilities He said that the hospital building should not be left idle. He said that the local level’s income source is decreasing, so there is a challenge in the operation and management of the hospital.
‘Along with the upgrading of these hospitals, there is a need for mutual cooperation and collaboration between the three levels of government for sustainable management and operation,’ said Chairman Adhikari. ‘We have also submitted a demand letter to the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health. We need manpower and equipment to run the hospital, and the local level alone cannot afford it.’
Chairman Adhikari said that as the federal government’s budget for equalization to the local level is being cut, the local level has been facing additional financial burden. He said that the budget for equalization in the areas of health, education and other essential services should be increased.
Gandaki Province Health Minister Krishna Prasad Pathakal said that a plan to build basic hospitals at every local level has been advanced with the aim of providing quality health services to citizens at their doorsteps.
‘Although this concept was introduced to ensure that basic level hospitals are needed in villages as new public health problems are increasing, a sustainable and effective plan for hospital operation has not been developed,’ he said. ‘Hospital buildings have been built in some local levels, some are abandoned, and some are under construction.’
Minister Pathak said that the provincial government is ready to provide human resources, equipment and managerial support to basic hospitals as much as resources allow. He said.
He said that the three levels of government should work together to operate these hospitals in a systematic manner. ‘This issue has also been discussed in the meeting with the Prime Minister and the Health Minister, the government’s thinking and investment should not be allowed to go to waste,’ said Minister Pathak.
The federal government had taken a ministerial decision in 2077 BS to build five, ten and 15-bed basic hospitals in each local level based on geography and population.
Although the aim is to complete the construction of the hospital building and start services within two years, most of the hospitals have not yet been operational. There are complaints that even the hospitals that have come into operation are not providing quality services.
According to the Ministry of Health, out of 74 basic hospitals declared in Gandaki Province, 35 are in operation. Although nine hospital buildings have been constructed, services have not started. Seventeen hospital buildings are under construction, while five hospitals have started construction but are in a state of disrepair.
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