Kathmandu, Mar. 22: The Dhading District Hospital at Dhadingbesi, headquarters of Dhading district, which was itself sick has undergone a complete transformation at present, thanks to the Primary Health Service Project (PHSP) of the German Cooperation Agency GTZ.
The hospital has now been renovated and equipped with modern health facilities and gadgets with the financial assistance of the public health services project on the special initiatives of medical superintendent of the hospital and chief of the district health office Dr. Rajendra Pant.
Spread over 13 ropanis land, the 15-bed hospital has now been equipped with a modern x-ray machine and other equipment in the current fiscal year.
The equipment costing nearly Rs 6 million were provided by the Primary Health Service Project.
The hospital building which was decrepit and filled with cobwebs as recently as a year ago has been renovated and refurbished with financial assistance from the Physical Assets Management Project (PAMP) of the GTZ. Wiring has been carried out inside the entire building and electricity has been restored to the hospital.
The project has also provided Rs 100,000 for the future renovation of the hospital. Similarly, the Hospital Development Committee has committed Rs 20,000 and the District Development Committee Rs 30,000.
We have created a reserve fund of Rs 150,000 from the financial assistance for the renovation and maintenance of the hospital in future. The interest accruing from the reserve fund would be used in carrying out renovation works, medical superintendent Dr. Rajendra Panta told RSS.
With the renovation and modernisation of the hospital facilities has ended the orgy for the people of Dhading of travelling to Bharatpur and Kathmandu for even general operations.
More than 100 complicated and general operations have been successfully carried out at the hospital in the past one year with the modernisation of the hospital facilities and with the addition of more modern equipment.
Such was the condition of the hospital in the past that doctors had to use and re-use the same surgical gloves a number of times operating on patients due to the lack of surgical gloves. But the problem no more remains and complicated surgeries are also performed at the hospital now-a-days, according to Dr. Pant.
The hospital might be well-equipped now. That is fine but that is not enough to take pride. Although the hospital has postings for three doctors, five staff nurses, one radiographer and one lab technician, only one doctor and a staff nurse are providing services there now.
Says Dr. Pant, “the district hospital can function in full swing and improve on its quality of health services if the government only takes care to fill up the vacant posts at the hospital”.
In the meantime, Dr. Pant has been successful in convincing the local bodies, intellectuals, political leaders and political party workers on the need of a long-term health policy for the district. As a result, a long-term five-year health plan has been worked out for the district.
The draft district health plan has been sent to the ministry of health for its approval. The district plan is to be implemented as part of the ninth five year plan and His Majesty’s Government’s long-term health policy.
A budget of Rs 170 million has been allocated for implementation of the plan prepared over one year’s period with the financial assistance of His Majesty’s Government and the primary health service project. The district health plan also incorporates such health services as oral and dental health care, mental health, environmental sanitation and professional health care services.
The district health office has also been conducting various training for the benefit of the paramedics working at different health service institutions in the district. It has also constructed a number of public toilets and has been conducting public health education programmes in different parts of the district.