Completed Ramechhap Hospital Building Unused Without Government Approval

Ramechhap — Even though a basic hospital building has been constructed in Bamti, a remote village in Umakunda Rural Municipality-2 of Ramechhap, it has not been able to come into operation as the hospital has not received official approval. 

The hospital building was constructed under a plan to build at least one basic hospital in every local level across the country during KP Oli's tenure as Prime Minister. Ward Chairman Khambadhwoj Basnet stated that although the hospital building was constructed with a budget from the federal government, it could not function because the hospital status and staff positions have not been approved.

He informed that the hospital was built under the 'one local level, one hospital' program. He mentioned that the hospital building was constructed after purchasing land at the very location where a health post was previously situated. He also shared that the ward and rural municipality are currently carrying out the necessary procedures, expressing his desire for the hospital to operationalize as quickly as possible to replace the health post.

Stating that he is making efforts to run the basic hospital, Rural Municipality Chairman Sher Bahadur Sunuwar informed that since approval has not come from the central government, the rural municipality itself has managed to keep a doctor to provide services. He also urged the locals to create a welcoming environment for the doctor to stay.

Expressing that locals are forced to face life-threatening situations due to a lack of treatment because the hospital in the remote village is not operational, residents requested Bagmati Province Health Minister Kiran Thapa to create an environment to run the hospital.

Health Minister Kiran Thapa Magar stated that once the basic hospital is established, the federal government sends health workers including two medical officers, and the provincial government will also assist in the matter. 

He urged to first move forward with the process of getting approval to operate the hospital. For this, he said, the roles of the local level, provincial parliamentarians, and citizens are essential.

Due to the lack of hospital approval, the massive building constructed for the hospital remains unused. Even now, only basic health services are being provided from the old health post building. Locals still face the compulsion of reserving a helicopter to travel to Kathmandu when they fall ill.