JUMLA, Oct 8: Locals of Tila Rural Municipality have to walk more than three hours to the nearest health post. Patients with ordinary injuries and problems can walk to the health post, but not those who are seriously ill. The latter have to keep on suffering.

Even though the government has assured  locals that they will be provided health checkups and medical treatment,  in reality they have to walk  miles even for some paracetamols, says Ram Bahadur Rawat, a local. In winter, the roads are  snowed over and as a result children remain deprived of the recommended vaccinations. "We have time and again requested the government for a community health post but no one has heard our plea," laments Rawat.

Apart from people, cattle also have to battle various diseases, and if proper measures are not taken, these  might assusme epidemic proportions, said Harkha Rawat, another lcoal. 

Meanwhile, instead of going to the health post at Ghode, patients prefer going to district headquarters Khalanga as it takes the same amount of time. Due to  topographical remotemess, more than half  the villagers rely on medicinal herbs for curing their maladies.

This exigency has boosted the faith of locals in  herbal treatment over allopathy.

When they do  leave  home and head for the health posts,  the patients are not sure  they will actually meet the health workers . Sometimes  they  have to return home empty-handed. So they turn to homemade medicines, which is of help to some extent.

Tila Rural Municipality has health posts only in wards 1 and 2. Pregnant women, senior citizens and the disabled are at the greatest disadvantage. Locals  stress the need for a health posts in each ward  They also stressed the need for stretchers as  patients now have to be carried to the health posts and hospitals in bamboo baskets.
 

 
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