Separate hospital for flood victims built in Banke

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, July.1: Duduwa Rural Municipality in Banke has constructed a five-bed basic hospital for the treatment of flood and inundation victims.

Chairperson of the rural municipality, Narendra Chaudhary, said that the hospital was constructed to treat the underprivileged community affected by diarrhoea, cholera, scabies, and skin diseases caused by floods and inundation in the coastal areas of the Rapti River. 

Due to weak financial conditions, people of the underprivileged community remain at high risk, as financial constraints prevent them from accessing treatment at big hospitals, he said, adding, “So the hospital was built to provide free medication and treatment for the underprivileged communities.”

According to Chaudhary, most of the settlements in Duduwa Rural Municipality get waterlogged every year due to floods in the Duduwa, Gandhaili, and Sutaiya streams as well as the Rapti River. 

As people often fall sick during floods and cannot even reach the market for medication, the rural municipality has decided to operate the hospital in Betahani before the disaster, to treat residents of the affected coastal areas.

Rampheran Gupta of Betahani, a settlement along the Rapti River, said that many lives had been at risk due to a lack of timely treatment of infectious diseases during floods and inundation. 

With the construction of a hospital in the village, there is increased hope of receiving treatment during the time of disaster, he added. 

According to him, there has not been a single year when floods have not affected the area. As a result, outbreaks like diarrhoea and cholera occur every year.

The health division of Duduwa Rural Municipality informed that the construction of the community hospital building has been completed, and equipment, including that for disease testing in the lab, is being installed rapidly, while the medicine procurement process is in its final stage.

According to the division, the hospital has already installed an X-ray machine and constructed patient wards. The process to appoint doctors has also begun.

The community basic hospital was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs. 30 million. The hospital will provide free treatment to senior citizens.

Locals have also called for the introduction of maternity services in the hospital to save mothers and infants.