Healthcare Crisis Plagues Freed Haliya Families in Remote Hilly District

Dhangadhi: Residents of the liberated Haliya families in a secluded hilly district endure challenging lives marked by poverty and a lack of access to medical treatment.

The majority of freed Haliyas, who spent their lives toiling in the fields of others, are now confined to their homes due to a dearth of healthcare resources. The Dalit community, grappling with poverty, disease, and the burden of debt, finds itself particularly affected.

In Shikhar Municipality-10, Doti, Mukta Haliya Gagane Bhol is trapped in a dire situation of disease and hunger, unable to move inside or outside his home. Extreme poverty has deprived him of the necessary medical treatment, leaving his right arm and leg immobile after 25 years of laboring in others' fields. Likewise, Dime Bhoj from the same ward has been immobilized on his right side for the past 15 months, facing the challenges of living with a debilitating illness.

Bhoj, who has endured 40 years of life, grapples with the difficulties imposed by his ailment. Chronic patients and the unwell are pervasive in the settlement, yet the free Haliya community remains unable to seek treatment beyond the local health center due to financial constraints. Despite plans by the local government to establish a city hospital, a shortage of funds hampers progress, as stated by Shikhar Municipality Doti chief, Galg Bahadur Balayer.

Efforts are underway to provide financially disadvantaged individuals with discounted ambulance services, Balayer added. Yashoda Bhat, a health worker at One Lake Health Chowki Doti, highlighted the escalating issue of illness due to a lack of waste management. Settlers near the Seti River face the dual burdens of extreme poverty and mounting health concerns, compounded by the weight of accumulating debts.