BAJURA, JANUARY 14
Patients have been facing problems due to lack of ambulance service in Budhiganga Municipality, Bajura.
Earlier, the municipality used to operate three ambulances. But now the municipality stopped operation of all three ambulances which has hit the patients hard. The patients are compelled to take local bus and jeep, among other means of transportation to reach the health facilities. The locals of the municipality go to Achham's Bayalpata Hospital for treatment. Municipality Health Coordinator Dipak Sha said that even chronic disease patients and pregnant women were forced to use local buses to reach the health facilities.
Of the three ambulances in the municipality, two are dysfunctional, while one was returned to the Province Government. An ambulance offered by lawmaker Dabal Sha from the parliamentary development fund could not be repaired and is gathering dust for the past nine months in Barjugard of Sanphe-Martadi road section. Similarly, another ambulance belonging to Bahrabisa Red Cross has also gone dysfunctional and has been dumped in Martadi.
A local, Tapes Rawal, said no authority had paid attention to bring the essential service into operation. Now all the local levels have road access, but unfortunately due lack of ambulance service many patients with critical illness are at the risk of losing their lives.
Health workers said many people in the remote parts of the local level would benefit if ambulance service was brought into operation. The health workers added that the authority concerned did not even bother to get the ambulances repaired despite repeated calls from the locals.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
