As the building remains closed for over a week now, pregnant women and patients needing surgery are compelled to go to other hospitals in the nearby Jhapa district. The hospital administration says the building will remain closed for a few more days.[break]
The building was sealed off after two new mothers, two newborns and one pregnant woman suffered from high fever, respiratory problems and abdomen swelling, which doctors say is a result of infection, last week. Shortly, the interior of the building was disinfected through fumigation method.
However, as the hospital administration is yet not certain about whether the interiors of the building have been completely disinfected, maternity and surgery ward are still not in operation. "We will collect samples of dust from inside the building and send them to BPKIHS hospital, Dharan to determine whether our fumigation works have really worked," said Dr Surendra Shakya of the district hospital. "Till then, we will be providing only emergency services."
While the new building, which was inaugurated just four months ago, houses maternity and surgery wards, emergency and observation wards are in operation at the hospital´s old building, which is just a stone´s throw away. As the surroundings of the district hospital are polluted, doctors fear that even the emergency ward is under the risk of infection.
"Fumigation is just a way to disinfect the infected rooms and equipment for the time being," said Dr Shakya. "As long as the surrounding environment is not clean, we are prone to infection."
There is a slaughterhouse close by the hospital, where dozens of animals are slaughtered every day. The unused parts of the slaughtered animals are dumped into a creek.
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