Rajbiraj, May 29 Poor delivery of health services at Rajbiraj-based Gajendra Narayan Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, the only government hospital in the district, has forced Saptari locals to reach private hospitals for treatment. Kusuntidevi Sah of Kodarkatti, Ramnagar, had to transfer her two-year-old son to a private clinic after the zonal hospital delivered lousy medical service to her son. “I admitted my son at the zonal hospital as he had high fever. But the hospital showed utter negligence in his treatment, so I opted for a nearby private clinic,” she said. Besides Kusuntidevi, many people from the rural areas of the district had gathered at the private clinic awaiting their turn for diagnosis. They complained that the government-owned zonal hospital was acting as a mere referral centre rather than treating patients. Acting Medical Superintendent Dr Dilip Kumar Sah, at the zonal hospital, said he was aware that the hospital had failed to provide proper medical care to the patients, and attributed the same to the lack of manpower and equipment at the hospital. “Over 150 patients visit the hospital for treatment on a daily basis, but we have limited manpower to cater to them,” said Dr Sah. He added that as many as 18 posts of expert doctors, among other posts, were lying vacant at the hospital.