Bajura District Hospital Successfully Conducts Complex Surgeries, Easing Burden on Locals

Bajura. Bajura locals are happy as complex surgeries have started at the District Hospital, Bajura. The district residents are happy because complex surgeries such as complicated delivery cases, emergency appendicitis, and reverse sural artery flap are being successfully performed. The District Hospital, with its basic 15 beds, has been providing reliable services at affordable rates along with daily health check-ups and treatment services, increasing the trust of the district residents in the hospital. Bajura is a remote Himalayan district in the country. Earlier, Bajura residents had to go outside the district for surgery. Amidst limited manpower, medicines, equipment, and resources, the hospital has started providing health services including specialists, leading to an increase in the number of patients coming here. The hospital's information officer, Nripraj Giri, said that the number of patients coming to the hospital for treatment has increased since the effective specialist services started. More than 150 patients come to the hospital daily for treatment from neighboring districts like Humla and Mugu. Currently, services are being provided by MDGP and orthopedic specialists. "The situation of having to go to Dhangadhi, Kathmandu for various services including surgery due to lack of specialist doctors has ended," said Information Officer Giri, "Now most complex surgeries are being successfully performed here." Along with daily OPD and surgery services, emergency health services are provided 24 hours a day. He said that patients with pediatric, gynecology and obstetrics, dermatology, ENT, mental health, and other emergency conditions are treated here. The acting Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Harish Bahadur Malla, said that the district hospital has been continuously providing life-saving and specialist health services amidst limited resources. It is said that the local residents have been greatly relieved as specialist doctors and services have been operational at the hospital, which was previously a compulsion to go outside the district for general treatment. 35,000 received services in one year, 351 referred The District Hospital has provided treatment services to approximately 35,000 patients in one year. In the last financial year 2082/83, health check-ups and treatment were provided to 34,955 citizens. During that period, 351 people were referred outside. As of the end of Bhadra in the current fiscal year, 6,461 patients have received treatment services at the District Hospital. Citizens from all nine local levels of the district as well as neighboring districts of Mugu, Kalikot, and Humla come here for treatment. Similarly, the hospital stated that 139 orthopedic surgeries have been successfully performed in just two months of the current fiscal year. Hospital Run on Contract Staff The District Hospital here currently has a sanctioned staff of 18 people, including one Medical Superintendent (Ninth Level) and one Eighth Level doctor. However, currently, a total of nine people are working, including the acting Medical Superintendent (Eighth Level). The hospital stated that 89 contract staff, including medical officers, are working. "The structure is sufficient, but since it is only a 15-bed hospital instead of a 50-bed hospital, there are fewer employees," he said, "We have added some services, but there are problems in service delivery due to lack of staff." Dr. Malla said that if the Sudurpashchim Provincial Government upgrades the district hospital to 50 beds immediately, it will be a great relief to the citizens of remote areas. He stated that due to insufficient manpower and staffing compared to the physical infrastructure and service expansion of the hospital, services have to be managed with available resources. MDGP Service After Two Months The hospital's chief doctor, Malla, said that the service delivery has become more convenient recently after the Sudurpashchim Provincial Government assigned MDGP Dr. Rahul Shrestha on a scholarship contract. According to him, the hospital administration stated that the regular presence of an orthopedic surgeon has further facilitated treatment and surgery services related to orthopedics and nerve diseases. Procurement Process Affected Due to Non-Receipt of Provincial Budget The hospital chief Dr. Harish Bahadur Malla informed that there is a problem in advancing the medicine procurement process due to the non-receipt of the current fiscal year's budget from the Sudurpashchim Provincial Government, and a situation of shortage of free medicines has arisen at the District Hospital. "There are sufficient medicines in the pharmacy," he said, "We provide about 50 types of free medicines out of the 98 types that should be provided free, and there is a problem due to lack of budget for procurement." Despite the increasing patient load at the hospital, there are problems in the management of medicines, equipment, and manpower. The stock of free medicines is also decreasing. This directly affects the citizens of remote areas. Although there has been gradual improvement in physical infrastructure, specialist services, and surgery services, sufficient manpower, regular medicine supply, modern equipment, and budget management remain major challenges for the District Hospital. It seems possible to further reduce the compulsion of remote citizens to travel outside the district for general treatment to complex health services, spending lakhs of rupees. However, due to the negligence of the district hospital administration and management committee, there have been protests against the hospital from time to time, citing situations where doctors do not come on time for patient treatment and patients have to suffer various hardships. Local Vishnu Karki said that although the hospital is providing effective health services compared to the past, specialist doctors, modern equipment, regular medicine supply, and the management aspect need to be further strengthened.