Lack of infrastructure hits health service

Dhangadi, August 11

More than half-a-dozen health posts of Kailali district could not provide adequate health service to patients due to lack of physical infrastructure in different health facilities of the district.

Patients have been deprived of basic health services due to lack of physical infrastructure in the health posts of Urma, Ratanpur, Khairal, Beladevipur, Mohanlyal, Nigali, Basauti, Hasuliya and Thapapur of the district.

Locals at Beladevi were deprived of health service due to the small building of Beladevi Health Post.

Auxiliary Mid-wife Bhagawati Shah of the health post said it was very difficult to provide service from a single building with three rooms. “We could not provide 24-hour health service due to lack of building,” she informed. Shah added that there was no place to sit and treat patients in the health post.

Similarly, Senior Assistant Health Worker Kumbha Raj Sharma of Urma Health Post said that there was administration, patients’ check-up room, store and a room for the in-charge rolled into a single room. “There is no building for patients at the health post,” he informed.

Sharma said health workers could not provide service to patients as there were no benches, chairs and office tables. She said she had urged Dhangadi Sub-municipality to take initiative for building construction. She added that as many as 20 to 25 patients visit the health post for treatment every day.

Senior Assistant Health Worker Bir Bahadur Oli of Khairala Health Post said they could not provide service due to lack of building.

“The health post building is dilapidated and it leaks when it rains,” he informed. Oli said patients’ check up room and store room were accommodated in a single room. He said that the VDC had assured to take the initiative to construct a building.

Jaya Bahadur Karki, senior Public Health Administrator in District Public Health Office, Kailali, said the existing physical infrastructure in health posts of the district was deplorable. “New physical construction is needed to provide better service to patients,” he said.

Karki added that construction work was limited to paper only. He said health workers, staffers and the patients of half-a-dozen health posts in the district were facing problems due to lack of building.

Health post buildings in Baliya, Sadipani, Bhajani, Udashipur, Gadariya, Malakheti and Godawari are under construction.

Karki said that his office had requested the department of health service to construct health post buildings in Basauti, Gadariya, Mohanyal, Phulbari, Pratappur, Ratanpur and Khailad.