Jhapa, May 25 The government decision to set up a COVID-19 treatment centre on the premises of Mechi Zonal Hospital in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, has drawn flak. The government’s preparation to set up the proposed COVID-19 treatment centre in a newly constructed facility within 50 metres distance from the main section of the hospital has led to fear of a possible spread of the virus from the treatment centre that is to be set up. Among others, Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula are against the idea of setting up a COV- ID-19 treatment centre in the government hospital that has a number of service centres nearby and caters mainly to the poor. “Setting up a treatment centre to handle pandemic cases in the hospital could be risky given the fact that there are various service centres nearby. Such a facility can instead be set up at Kalawalguri Training Centre or the Chandragadi-based Food Corporation’s empty godown,” Sitaula said. A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 26, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.