Of the 19 districts in the Central Development Region, Ramechhap remains backward from different aspects. However, the district continues to face various kinds of obstacles that keep it behind in comparison to other districts in the region.

Likewise, the health sector of the district has been adversely affected due to the absence of sufficient health technicians. A total of 36 different posts for health technicians in the district have remained vacant since a long time. The district has one hospital, one primary health centre, 12 health posts and 41 sub-health centres, and there are 46 vacant posts in these health centres along with 10 technical posts, said the District Health Office, Ramechhap.

Srijana Shrestha, the district health officer, said there has been a long absence of one doctor, one lab technician and radiographer, three staff nurses and one health assistant at the district hospital while the only primary health centre in the district headquarters has been running without a staff nurse since its inception.

Nine of the 12 health posts don’t have health assistants and the post for five assistant nurse midwives in the district has also not been filled since a very long time. The peons at the sub-health centres are doing the job of the doctors, say the locals.

A large amount of medicine in the health centres is also said to have become outdated due to the absence of health technicians in the district.

The transfer letters of health officials arrive but not the health officials themselves and this is the reason behind the big number of vacancy in the health sector, adds Shrestha.

However, the presence of the Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti, a non-governmental organisation is said to have been fulfilling some health service necessities of the people of Ramechhap. The organisation has been organising eye and dental camp, lab testing, X-ray and some primary treatment services. The authorities concerned needs to give immediate attention towards fulfilling the vacant posts in the health sector which is a very sensitive sector that deals with public health.