Seventy-year-old Nanki Godiya of ward 9 in Gulariya Municipality was admitted to the emergency ward of Bardiya Hospital on Thursday after suffering from severe diarrhoea. Similarly, Sushila Tharu of ward 6 in Gulariya was admitted with stomach pain.

With the onset of the summer season, the number of patients visiting the district hospital for treatment of fever, diarrhoea, stomach ache, headache, diabetes and high blood pressure has increased sharply.

Acting Superintendent Dr Manu Dahit said more than 500 patients have been visiting the hospital’s outpatient department daily, except on public holidays. Earlier, around 300 patients used to seek treatment through OPD services each day.

Doctors said the extreme heat and hot winds sweeping the district have caused more people to fall ill. They also said the long public holidays have worsened the pressure on emergency services as OPD facilities remain closed during holidays.

Health Assistant Ajit Chaudhary said 64 patients sought treatment at the emergency unit in the past 24 hours alone. He said the hospital’s emergency ward has only seven beds, creating difficulties in managing patients.

Kamlesh Singh of Sirkohiya in ward 3 of Gulariya reached Bardiya Hospital on Thursday for his pregnant wife’s regular health check-up, only to find the OPD closed because of the public holiday.

He said he spent Rs400 on an auto-rickshaw for the round trip but returned home without treatment. Most patients, he said, were unaware that OPD services remain closed during public holidays.

Hospital staff said more than 100 patients arrived for treatment on Thursday, but had to return without receiving services.

Jit Bahadur Tharu, a heart patient from ward 9 of Madhuwan Municipality, said he hired an auto-rickshaw for Rs500 to reach the hospital, hoping to consult a doctor and collect medicines. “I only suffered and had to return without treatment,” he said.

Patients have demanded that the hospital operate OPD services for at least two hours, even during public holidays.

Maiku Lodha of ward 10 in Gulariya said keeping the OPD open for limited hours during holidays was necessary for patients in need of urgent consultation.