Construction of OPD building of Bheri Hospital at final phase

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Banke, Apr. 22: The then Urban Development Minister Metmani Chaudhary had pledged to complete the entire construction of the Out Patient Department building of Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj by December 9, 2022 when he visited the hospital to enquire about its status on September 8 last year. 

However, the construction of the hospital building has still not been completed. Dr. Badri Chapagain, Chief Medical Superintendent of Bheri Hospital, said that the final phase construction work was still going on. 

 Works on lift, staircases and others are going on, Dr. Chapagain added. 

"There is a huge rush of patients in the hospital," said Dr. Chapagain, adding that the hospital administration was facing frequent pressure from the service seekers to find beds in the new building, but we cannot use it as it is still incomplete and it is not handed over.  

Although 150 beds have been approved in the Bheri Hospital, patients are currently being treated in 162 beds. Chapagain, chief of the hospital, said that although there is a 16-bed emergency room, patients have to be treated on chairs because of the high flow of the patients. 

After the completion of its OPD building, the Bheri Hospital will be upgraded to a 500-bed hospital.  

Bijaya Keshar Khanal, Officiating Project Chief of Federal Project Implementation Unit Nepalgunj, said that the final phase construction work was underway and the construction company would complete the work by mid-June.

"The construction work was delayed in the initial phase because of COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons," Khanal said, adding, "There seems to be some delay in the construction of other administrative buildings and the hospital building." According to him, the deadline has been extended till June as the construction work was supposed to be completed by the first week of March.

According to him, the construction work has been delayed as the flooring materials should be purchased from outside. Construction company, Prera-CAB-Bhimeshwar JV, is constructing the hospital building.