Sunil Rai, a 15-year-old native of Syabun in Panchkhapan Municipality, was taken to the district hospital in Sankhuwasabha on Wednesday after he suffered from high fever, headache and vomiting.

Doctor advised him to get admitted to the hospital for treatment. He got admitted right away but he could not get a bed. He is now receiving treatment on a bench in the hospital’s passage, according to Laxman, Sunil’s father.

“It’s a pathetic state of affairs that he is compelled to undergo treatment lying on a bench, in the passage,” said Laxman Rai.

Lately, the district hospital has been receiving an increasing number of patients. The overcrowded health institution has no alternative than to provide treatment by keeping the patients in the passage.

The Sankhuwasabha District Hospital was upgraded to a 50-bed health institution from 15 beds five years ago. However, the district hospital currently has 25 beds only.

Suman Shakya, chairman of the hospital management committee, said that a building is under construction with the purpose of upgrading it to a 50-bedded hospital. The building construction commenced three years ago but it is still incomplete. As a result the hospital could not upgrade its facilities including the number of beds, Shakya said. According to him, physiotherapy and immunisation services are in operation out of a rented building due to the lack of infrastructures in the hospital.

The health services have been hugely affected due to the delay in construction of the hospital building. Bicoi Swaminarayan JV was contracted to construct the hospital building at the cost of Rs 280 million. The construction company had to complete the construction a year ago.

“The contractor has delayed the construction on various pretexts,” said Suman. “We have pressured the construction company to complete the work within a few months.”

Currently, a total of 40 patients have been admitted to the hospital. As many as 15 admitted patients are kept in the passage and walkway due to the lack of beds.

According to the hospital administration, a dengue patient and two patients of scrub typhus are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.

The hospital has a tough time managing an increasing number of patients. Dr Nirmika Rai, the acting medical superintendent at Sankhuwasabha District Hospital, said that the number of patients increased in the health institution for the past few weeks. According to her, people suffering from viral fever, diarrhoea, dengue and scrub typhus are on the rise lately.

The service seekers complain about the mismanagement at the hospital. “We have to sleep on the bench in the walkway,” said Bikash Singh, a fever patient who is receiving treatment at the hospital. “The hospital is overcrowded with patients. We are unable to get good health services here.”

The local people have demanded the hospital management and administration to take stringent action against the contractor for the delay in building construction and upgrade health services immediately.

Former state minister for health Taraman Gurung visited the hospital on Thursday and inquired about the situation. He asked the hospital management and administration to make the contractor complete the building construction soon and focus on providing quality health services to the service seekers.