Dispute between Mayor and Chief Minister disrupts operation of Lamkichuha hospital

Dhangadhi: A dispute between Lamkichuha Municipality Mayor Sushila Shahi and Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has hindered the operation of Lamkichuha Hospital.

The Ministry of Social Development had deployed three staff members, including a doctor, on April 28 to operate the hospital. However, they were prevented from assuming their duties, citing a lack of human resource management and coordination. Mayor Shahi has been accused of being involved in the obstruction.

Claiming that Lamkichuha Hospital falls under the municipality’s jurisdiction, Mayor Shahi reportedly did not allow Acting Medical Superintendent Dr. Kamlesh Prasad Yadav, Accounting Officer Ganesh Bista, and Public Health Inspector Laxmi Shrestha to report to work. She has also been accused of misbehaving with the Accounting Officer and Public Health Inspector and forcing them out of the office.

Stating that there had been no agreement or coordination with the provincial government, Mayor Shahi asked the deployed staff to return, asserting her role as chairperson of the hospital management committee. The dispute subsequently escalated, with one faction locking down the municipality office, which was reportedly broken open shortly afterward by the mayor’s supporters.

Chief Minister Shah and Mayor Shahi, who represent the same area, have taken opposing positions in the dispute. Following the obstruction, supporters of the Chief Minister staged a demonstration in Lamki, with participation also reported from supporters of the National Independent Party.

As tensions rose, Social Development Minister Meghraj Khadka held a press conference in Dhangadhi, stating that Mayor Shahi sought to become the chairperson of the hospital management committee despite the absence of a legal provision. However, questions have been raised as to why such a provision exists in Bayalpata Provincial Hospital, where the mayor of the respective municipality serves as chairperson, but not in Lamkichuha.

The provincial government had earlier taken control of Bayalpata Hospital, previously run by an NGO, converting it into a 50-bed provincial hospital and appointing Rajendra Bahadur Kunwar as the chairperson of its management committee. Concerns have been raised over whether differing arrangements between Bayalpata and other hospitals indicate a double standard.

Currently, the provincial government operates 12 hospitals as 50-bed provincial facilities. Questions have emerged regarding inconsistencies in management structures despite similar manpower arrangements. According to a Ministry of Social Development official, a separate formation order was issued for Bayalpata, while the remaining 11 hospitals continue to operate under the 2075 BS framework.

These developments have intensified concerns about the lack of uniformity in the formation of hospital management committees. Public suspicion has also arisen that personal differences between Chief Minister Shah and Mayor Shahi may have influenced the decision not to appoint the mayor as chairperson of Lamkichuha Provincial Hospital.

Minister Khadka has clarified that the difference stems from distinct formation orders. He stated that Bayalpata’s newer formation order retained the existing provision of having the mayor as chairperson, while other hospitals continue under the older framework. He added that staff working at Bayalpata were retained by approving temporary positions under the new arrangement.