23 April, Dang: Millions worth of equipment purchased for operating an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Rapti Sub Regional Hospital, Ghorahi have been thrown into a storehouse.
The government is preparing an overhaul to transform the hospital into an academy of health and sciences, for which a budget has been allocated for building the necessary infrastructure. It has been one and a half years since the medical equipment were purchased for operating an ICU.
The hospital had also purchased two ventilators through the Health Service Department’s Supply Division more than a month ago but still the patients are forced to head out of the district to seek ICU services.
Many expectant mothers arrive for service at the district from Dang, Salyan, Rukum and Rolpa. The lack of the ICU service has been stoking the incidents of the death of newly born babies at the hospital.
Hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr Janardan Panthi, termed ICU as an ‘elephant’ for the hospital and added that the hospital is not in a state to operate an elephant. He said there is need of 12 to 15 capable employees to run the ICU.
Panthi further added that the hospital has been trying to operate the ICU by mid July. The repeated change of hospital management committee has resulted in the failure to implement the facilities provided by the state. RSS
