BANKE: Three big hospitals in Banke district, along with other health facilities, have been overcrowded with patients from the past few days, all thanks to the water-borne diseases in the wake of torrential downpour.

Due to the influx of the patients, the hospitals are already running out of beds to treat them. To aggravate the situation, treatment has been adversely affected due to lack of sufficient health workers.

Bheri Zonal Hospital, Nepalgunj Medical College and Kohalpur Teaching Hospital said that it had been very difficult to offer treatment to the surging patients which are increasing every other day.

Many patients are being treated on the hospital floors due to the lack of beds.

According to chief of Bheri Zonal Hospital Dr Shyamsundar Khanal, many people are suffering from various communicable diseases. The onset of winter season has also been attributed for another factor behind the growing patients.

Viral fever, diarrhoea, influenza, typhoid and pneumonia, among other diseases, have been affecting large populace in the recent times.

Around 400 patients have been visiting Bheri Zonal Hospital while a similar number of patients are coming to other two hospitals every day.

Dr Khanal admitted treating those coming on the hospital floor after all the 200 beds were packed.

“Even if someone is brought in emergency wards, we cannot offer treatmen”,” he added.

Director of Kohalpur Teaching Hospital Dr Jitendra Mahaseth said the hospital with 800 beds was packed with patients. “I guess at least one person is affected in each household with the disease in the village areas. Seeing such arrival of patients, we can easily guess the condition of the villages is very horrible.”

Among the private health facilities, Shakya Medical Hall, the biggest one in Nepalgunj, has seen the largest number of patients ever, according to proprietor Jiban Sharma.