Dadeldhura, June 24

Lack of medicines and necessary equipment has badly affected service delivery at Dadeldhura-based Jogbudha Hospital.

Earlier a primary health centre, the health facility was recently upgraded into a hospital.

“Although the health facility was upgraded into a hospital, the quality of service has not improved. In fact, the service we are receiving from the hospital is way worse than what we used to get earlier when it was a health centre,” said Janak Thapa, a local.

Chairperson of Hospital Management Committee, Tarisingh Bohara, conceded that the hospital had failed to meet people’s expectations, but added, “It’s true to some extent that we’ve failed to provide quality service to patients, but we are helpless as the hospital lacks necessary equipment.”

He also rued the plight of the patients who had to be taken to neighbouring districts and India for treatment. “So far, we’ve managed to secure two government doctors for the hospital after frequent requests to the concerned authorities. We are not sure when they will provide us with the equipment that the hospital desperately needs,” he said.

The hospital also lacks proper physical infrastructure. “Every year, a certain amount is allocated for the construction of hospital building, but the money is of no use as we don’t have the land,” said assistant health worker at the hospital Hikmat Bahadur Dhami.

“We need some 35 ropanis of land for construction of the building, but we only have 10 ropanis,” said Dhami, who also spoke of the lack of ambulance service at the hospital.

As per information officer at the hospital Ganesh Nath, an emergency vehicle pledged by the Indian Embassy to the hospital a year ago had yet to arrive.