Eight days ago, massive flooding in the Mahakali River swept away some buildings of the district hospital, and the other buildings remain at high risk of flood damage. Since then, the hospital has been short of space and medical equipment, leaving locals to live with the consequences.
“Due to acute shortage of hospital space, we were not able to provide any healthcare to the locals for days,” said Rameshwor Devkota, a doctor at the district hospital. According to him, much medical equipment at the hospital was swept away along with the hospital buildings, making medical treatment almost impossible.
He said buildings and equipment worth millions have been damaged by the flooded Mahakali.
With the government reluctant to do anything about the dire situation, the health workers themselves some days ago set up emergency services at an under-construction building along the Darchula-Baitadi road section.
“All the other houses in Khalanga already teem with displaced locals. So, there was no option then to set up emergency services in a building under construction,” said Devkota.
Some hospital beds have been left under the open sky, while others have been cramped into the under-construction structure, which belongs to Lok Mani Thagunna, a local.
Currently, the structure is sheltering only patients who were already admitted to the hospital before the flood struck. But there is a lack of toilets and proper medical facilities, Bir Hari Rai, an assistant health officer.
Emergency service is the only facility the hospital can offer of late, said Rai.
“Every day around 40 patients visit the hospital for various problems. But they are being turned back without any treatment or after only primary treatment,” Devkota said.
He also said the seriously ailing are coming to the hospital only to be referred somewhere else.
Dabal Ram Lohar of Bhramadev VDC-2, who has been undergoing leg injury treatment for the last two weeks, is compelled to sleep in a hospital bed out in the open. “I have not been able to sleep due to insect bites,” he compained.
Likewise, the hospital has not been able to provide X-ray to patients. And the delivery service has also been affected, informed Rai, adding, “Despite the sorry state of the hospital, around eight deliveries have been successfully carried out.”
Devkota said the hospital has demanded a team of health workers and medicines from the Department of Health Services. “The department supplied some medicines, but we still lack sufficient manpower,” he added.
He concluded that medical conditions in the district will worsen if the department delays in sending more health workers.
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