The hospital building at the Annapurna Rural Municipality, constructed under the Government of Nepal’s “One Municipality, One Hospital” policy, has not come into operation even two years after its completion. Gandaki Province Health Minister Krishna Prasad Pathak, after conducting a site inspection of the hospital, stated that there is still uncertainty regarding its operation. He mentioned that due to poor road conditions and the hospital’s location being in a geographically inconvenient area away from settlements, the operation of the hospital remains uncertain.
Bharat Kumar Panu, Chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality said that due to the geographical conditions and the state of the road, there is no certainty as to when the hospital will begin operation. The municipal-level hospital was constructed in Annapurna Rural Municipality-1, Doba. Although the construction was completed by March 2023, there is still uncertainty regarding when the hospital will come into operation. The building was constructed under the federal government’s objective of operating basic-level hospitals at all local levels. The Government of Nepal had initiated the plan to construct hospitals to provide basic health services at the local level. Although the hospital building has been completed and the required procedures for operation have been fulfilled from the local level and submitted to the federal level, there is still no clarity on when it will be brought into operation, said Chairperson Pun. He added that despite reminders to the federal level, there has been no progress from the center regarding necessary procedures and human resources for the hospital. A five-bed, earthquake-resistant hospital building, designed to be accessible for persons with disabilities, was constructed as per the prescribed standards. According to the rural municipality, the construction was carried out in full compliance with the criteria set by the federal government. The facility includes an emergency unit, inpatient and outpatient departments, a laboratory, administrative and storage rooms, separate treatment rooms, and staff quarters.
An agreement worth Rs 5,12,60,000 was signed with Rabina–Amit JV on April 30, 2021, for the construction of the hospital building. The Chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality, Pun, stated that the construction company carried out the work and completed the building by March 2023. He added that a large amount of funding is still required to manage expenses for essential equipment, furniture, and compound fencing. The rural municipality, he said, is making necessary efforts to bring the hospital into operation.
The residents of Doba provided land free of cost, valued at over Rs 1,00,00,000, for the construction of the hospital. While the locals contributed the land free of charge and the administrative and construction work has been completed, they are concerned as there is still no clear timeline for the hospital to begin operations.