Bajura, February 29

People of remote Gumba and Lampata villages in Himali Rural Municipality-3 of Bajura are facing a hard time to avail themselves of basic government facilities. Getting government-provided basic health services has been a nightmare for villagers as the nearest health facility is two days’ trek from the villages.

“As nobody dares to take the long journey to the nearest health post, which is in Bichhyan, at Ward No-1, people rather depend on traditional methods of treatment, such as herbs,” said ward member Jagat Bahadur Lama.

Sanchura Gurung, who has been suffering from fever for the past one month, has been living with the fever all this long. “As going to the health post is almost impossible given the long distance, I’m taking some herbs hoping to get cured one day,” she said.

Like Gurung, all residents of the villages have been surviving on the mercy of the god, it seems. They don’t have any place to go for treatment in their locality if they ever happen to fall sick. “As carrying a sick person to a far away place is difficult, the only option for us is to turn to local herbs,” said local Mamata Kunwar. “Be it for the government freebies or family planning measures, such as condom, pills, basic vaccines for mothers and babies, nobody bothers to take an arduous journey for days. That is why married couples here have many babies,” said health volunteer Pasang Lama. While there are some 25 families living in Gumba, some 13 families live in Lampata village.