Darchula district hospital struggles with infrastructure shortage for over a decade

Darchula: The District Hospital in Darchula, which serves more than 200 patients daily, has been facing ongoing challenges in service delivery and treatment due to a shortage of infrastructure.

Although construction of a well-equipped hospital building is underway to improve patient services, progress has remained slow, resulting in continued difficulties for the past 12 years. The situation worsened after floods in the Mahakali River in Asad 2070 swept away hospital land and damaged its building.

According to Rabindra Bhattarai, Acting Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Darchula, the lack of adequate infrastructure has significantly affected the operation of internal services. He noted that there is also a shortage of beds for the increasing number of daily patients.

“The absence of a proper building has created major challenges in operating physiotherapy, OPD services, and laboratory facilities,” Bhattarai said. “Despite having skilled manpower, the hospital has not been able to fully utilize its resources or deliver quality services.”

He added that the issue has been repeatedly raised with district stakeholders and reported to the Chief District Officer. Bhattarai further warned that conducting services in cramped spaces due to the building shortage has increased the risk of the spread of infectious diseases among patients.