People in Pyuthan district headquarters and surrounding villages have been deprived of health services due to lack of doctors at the District Hospital.

Though the health facility has four posts for doctors, including a medical superintendent and a gynecologist, they have remained vacant for a long time.

Currently, the hospital has only one medical officer-Dr Ram Bahadur KC. However, as he is also the District Public Health Office chief, he remains busy carrying out additional works such as immunisation campaigns and thus is not always available at the hospital. As a result, an auxiliary health worker has been providing treatment to patients in the health facility.

Hospital Management Committee Chairman Tanka Bahadur Khadka said the hospital is facing difficulties even to carry out post-mortem after the contract period of Dr Dwarika Shrestha ended last year.

Khadka said the hospital does not have enough doctors though the number of patients is increasing of late. He said the District Public Health Office frequently informed the Department of Health (DoH) of the matter but the problem has not been addressed yet.

Dal Bahadur KC, a local resident, said he never saw all four doctors in the hospital and patients have to depend on the junior health workers for treatment.

Dr KC said the DoH has assured him of sending additional doctors within a couple of days.