Kanchanpur, December 19

Patients visiting Mahakali Zonal Hospital in Bhimdatta Municipality, Kanchanpur, are facing a hard time due to lack of specialist doctors at the hospital.

The hospital has quota of 21 specialist doctors, but only three doctors are working in the hospital at present.  Due to the unavailability of doctors, patients are compelled to reach Nepalgunj and Dhangadi for treatment. Some patients even go to India for treatment.

Currently, gynaecologist Dr Hari Kumar Shrestha, general surgeon Dr Shree Krishna Shrestha and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rojan Tamrakar are working at the hospital.

The post of director and medical superintendent, among other posts, are vacant at the hospital. Acting medical superintendent Dr Hari Kumar Shrestha said the hospital had not been able to provide quality health service due to lack of doctors. “We have been facing this problem since the time the hospital was established and nothing has changed after decades,” he added.

Meanwhile, the hospital’s Information Officer Keshab Datta Joshi said they were compelled to refer patients to other health facilities due to lack of specialist doctors in the hospital. He said as many as 309 patients had been referred to other places in the current fiscal so far.

The hospital was upgraded to the level of district hospital in  1984 from a health centre, and as Mahakali Zonal Hospital in  1987 with 100 beds.