Govt to allocate budget to build 300-bed hospital in Damak

By Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel,Damak, May 13: A well-equipped 300-bed government hospital is set to be constructed in Damak, Jhapa. Although commercial view towers and other infrastructure worth millions of rupees were built in Damak over the year, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has faced criticism for not initiating a process to build a hospital in his constituency.  

However, following a recent statement from PM Oli—who is elected to the House of Representatives from Jhapa Constituency No. 5—that a budget will be allocated for the hospital in the upcoming fiscal year, Damak Municipality has started necessary procedures for land acquisition.

According to Mayor Ram Kumar Thapa, a search has begun for a suitable plot of land to be donated free of charge for the hospital. The municipality is seeking four to five bighas of land in an area with access to roads, electricity, and telecommunication facilities. “If someone is willing to donate land voluntarily, the municipality will gladly accept it,” Mayor Thapa said.

Ward Chairperson of Ward No. 8 and spokesperson for the municipality, Dipesh Dahal, stated that a team of municipal representatives recently met with Prime Minister Oli to discuss the plan for the 300-bed hospital. “The Prime Minister has urged that land management be completed swiftly,” Dahal added. 

Following a meeting with Ward Chairs Navin Baral, Hari Nyaupane, Indra Gurung, and Kuver Bhattarai at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, PM Oli instructed the concerned agencies to allocate the necessary budget in the upcoming fiscal year.

Currently, a 15-bed hospital is in operation in Damak under the municipality’s management as the first contact point of the Government of Nepal’s health insurance programme. The hospital receives over 1,000 patients daily. However, it has been reported that beyond basic medical services, other health facilities remain inaccessible.