Rautahat, March 13

Health desk set up close to Gaur Customs in Rautahat has screened over 13,000 people entering Nepal from India for coronavirus in the past one week.

With the report of the deadly virus originating from a Chinese city also appearing in India lately, the health desk was brought into operation from March 6 by Gaur Municipality with the view to prevent any suspected cases crossing over to Nepal.

Stakeholders have expressed concern over poorly-equipped health desk manned by junior health staffers such as nursing midwives and assistant health workers, pointing out the lack of qualified doctors, stand-by ambulance and other necessary gear.

“We lack necessary resource to act effectively against the deadly disease that is now declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation and has already cost thousands of lives worldwide, but we’re doing our best,” said AHW Nisha Jayasawal.

Jayasawal added that no positive case has been detected so far.

Commenting on the criticism of failing to put up a fully-equipped health desk, Gaur Municipality Health Coordinator Dinabandhu Yadav said it was a tall order for the municipality to set up a health desk on its own. “As we don’t have enough manpower at the municipality, we have requested District Public Health Office to send ambulance and additional staffers,” he said.

Chief District Officer Basudev Ghimire also said DPHO was urged to send an expert at the health desk and keep an ambulance stand-by at the health desk.