Nawalpur, June 11

Gandaki Province has decided to convert Community Natural Hospital at Rajahar in Devchuli Municipality of Nawalpur into a temporary COVID-19 hospital following a surge in the number of coronavirus patients.

The initiative was taken after Bharatpur Hospital did not admit patients. As many as four beds are available in the hospitals of the district — two in Daumkauli and two in Pitauji. With the rise in the number of COVID-19 infected persons in Nawalpur, hospitals have run out of beds.

The temporary hospital with 400 beds is being established on the recommendation of COVID-19 Infection Management Committee.

The process for establishing the hospital moved ahead after the province directorate carried out inspection of the Community Natural Hospital.

The District Coordination Committee has offered Rs four million in assistance for the temporary COVID-19 hospital. Likewise, Rs two million was collected from eight local levels.

Community Natural Hospital Management Committee Secretary Pradip Raj Ghimire said as many as 25 infected persons were receiving treatment in the hospital after the decision to convert it into a COVID-19 hospital.

Manager Hari Sapkota at the hospital said other patients were banned from visiting the hospital after it was converted into a COVID-19 hospital. Ghimire urged people to help COVID-19 patients by donating money to the hospital’s account at Agriculture Development Bank, Rajahar Branch (account number 0415100630600030).

Dr Binod Poudel at the hospital said they could provide better treatment to patients if ventilators were available at the hospital.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 12, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.