Local residents of Tarakhola Rural Municipality have been relieved with the operation of a hospital, laboratories and other health services in their own villages. Prior to this, the villagers had to walk a long distance to get proper health facilities.

Tarakhola Rural Municipal Office has started laboratory services in its health posts from the current fiscal year. According to Prakash Gharti, chairman of the rural municipality, a 10-bed hospital has also come into operation in the rural municipality. Sande Health Post in Ward No. 3 has been upgraded to the 10-bed hospital.

“We have hired an MBBS doctor. The hospital will now cater to all patients. The local residents will no longer have to go to other villages and towns to seek medical treatment,” said Gharti. “We will be collaborating with the government at the federal level and adopt plans and policies to expand the health institution into a 15-bed hospital.”

Similarly, health posts at Argal, Hila, Tarakhola and Amarbhumi have also started laboratory services starting this year.

“The laboratories have been established with the financial resources of the rural municipality. The health posts are providing treatment as well as conducting blood, stool and urine tests. We have also managed a post of lab technician in the health posts,” said Gharti.

The rural municipal office had received lab equipment from the Department of Health Services as a grant.

The availability of health services in the villages has relieved many local residents of the expense of seeking medical treatment elsewhere.

“We had to go to Baglung bazaar to get treatment for even minor ailments or to get tested for diabetes, uric acid, tuberculosis and other urinary infections. Now the rural municipality has started providing health services, including maternity services, and distributing free medicines,” said Top Bahadur Roka, a local resident of Tarakhola.

The rural municipality has started the distribution of 42 kinds of medicines, which the government distributes free of cost. An ambulance has also been operated in a joint investment of the rural municipality and a donor. To make ambulance services regular in the rural municipality, the Baglung-Tarakhola road has been upgraded.

The health posts in Tarakhola now refer patients to other fully facilitated hospitals only when they are in critical condition.

“The health facilities in Tarakhola provide free treatment to those patients who are from poor economic backgrounds. Dalits, war victims, helpless and impoverished families are also getting benefits from the rural municipality,” said Gharti.