DHANGADHI: The Seti Zonal Hospital has launched the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) service, first in the far-western Nepal, on Tuesday.

According to Dr Ganesh Bahadur Singh, the medical superintendent of the hospital, over Rs 12 million was invested for the construction of new building consists to run the ICU facility. The ICU has four beds.

"Due to lack of enough resources, four-bed ward has been started at present. But this will not be enough to cope with the exiting flow of patients," added Singh.

In lack of ICU services in local hospitals in the region, patients are compelled to visit Nepalgunj, Kathmandu and other cities in Nepal and India for treatment.

Traders, industrialists, schools and locals had contributed funds for the construction of the ICU at the Zonal Hospital.