In Jumla, delays in the construction of two rural hospitals have forced patients to travel to the Karnali Health Sciences Academy in the district headquarters, Khalanga, for treatment. Although the hospitals were expected to be built and operational within three years, construction has remained incomplete for seven years, leaving patients with no option but to seek care far away.
In 2020, then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli introduced a plan to build 5 to 15-bed hospitals at all local levels across the country. Under this plan, 42 hospitals in 41 local levels of Karnali Province were selected for construction. Among them, Konkanasundari and Tila Rural Municipalities of Jumla were included out of the eight local levels in the district.
It was decided to construct a 15-bed hospital in Konkanasundari and a 10-bed hospital in Tila. Then-chairperson of Konkanasundari Rural Municipality, Narbir Rawat, laid the foundation stone for the hospital in November/December 2020. However, even after seven years, the hospital in Hatsisja of Konkanasundari has not been completed.
Although the estimated cost was Rs. 185 million, the construction company took the contract for Rs. 150 million. Despite the commitment to complete the project within three years, TD R Lakshmi Mazdoor Construction Services, the contractor, took advance payment but failed to progress the work for a long time due to irregularities.
In Ward No. 5 of Konkanasundari, 22 local residents had donated 3,500 square meters of land free of cost for the hospital construction. However, due to the contractor’s negligence, the project has remained stalled, disappointing locals who had hoped for specialist services in their own area.
Local resident Lokjang Upadhyay said that although they had donated land with the hope of receiving healthcare services nearby, the expected benefits have not materialized. “For a long time, neither has the hospital been built nor have we been able to use the land. This has left us disappointed,” he said.
The Integrated Urban Development and Building Construction Project had provided technical support for the project, while the overall responsibility for construction and payments lies with the local municipality. Due to contractor negligence and lack of proper monitoring by the municipality, the hospital remained incomplete for years.
Chief Administrative Officer of Konkanasundari Rural Municipality, Dipendra Bhandari, said that the stalled construction has recently gained momentum. “When I joined, the hospital construction was completely stalled, and the contractor was out of contact,” he said, “After I came, we found that the main contractor had died, which also caused delays. Later, a local construction entrepreneur from Jumla took responsibility, and work has progressed.”
He added that after obtaining authorization, work resumed. Initially, the contractor had taken an advance of Rs. 12.8 million and left the project incomplete. A first running bill of Rs. 10.4 million has already been paid, and a second bill of Rs. 5.5 million is in the payment process.
Similarly, the 10-bed hospital under construction in Ward No. 3 of Tila Rural Municipality, Kudari, has also not been completed. The foundation stone for the hospital was laid on December 6, 2020, by then State Minister for Health and Population, Nawaraj Rawat. The construction agreement had set Mid-February 2023 as the completion deadline. However, even after seven years, the hospital is still not fully completed. Due to delays in the Rs. 120 million federal project, local residents remain disappointed and are still waiting for quality healthcare services in their own village. The municipality has repeatedly extended deadlines to move the project forward.
Chairperson of Tila Rural Municipality, Motilal Rokaya, said that two extensions were given after he was elected. According to him, construction is currently being carried out by Khadga Jha JV Construction Services and Kamal Jeet JV Construction Services. “The hospital is now in its final stage. The construction company has said it will be handed over by the end of this fiscal year,” he said
