Local units in Udayapur district have come together to construct a Covid-19 hospital in Chaudandigadi Municipality as a part of their effort to curb the spread of coronavirus infection and provide medical treatment to the infected.

Currently, all Covid-19 patients from the district who need advanced medical care are taken to the Zonal Hospital in Biratnagar and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan.

The construction of the Rs 31.2 million hospital, which has 14 rooms and a 40-bed capacity, started two weeks ago.

Municipality Mayor Khagendra Rai said that all the local units in Udayapur are working together to build the hospital so that Covid-19 patients in the district can get immediate medical attention.

“At present, Covid-19 patients have to travel for three to four hours to reach Covid-specific hospitals in Biratnagar and Dharan,” said Rai. “With the construction of the Covid-19 hospital in the municipality, we expect to provide timely medical care to Udayapur residents.”

“The hospital will have ventilator services in eight beds and a separate out-patient department and doctors’ rooms,” said Rai.

According to him, the local units have requested the provincial government to send medical staff to the hospital.

The provincial government will send health workers to the hospital once it becomes fully operational, said Health Administrator at the Social Development Ministry of Province 1 Sagar Prasai.

Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Shiva Prasad Humagain informed that the local units have signed an agreement with the construction company— Dhulikhel-Sisam Aditya-Regmi Construction JV— for the hospital’s construction that is set to complete by October 30. The hospital will come into operation soon after, he added.

According to Rai, Udayapur’s Katari, Triyuga Chaidandigadi and Belka municipalities have provided Rs1.5 million each while Rautamai, Udayapurgadi, Tapli and Limchungwung rural municipalities have given Rs1 million each for the construction of the hospital. Likewise, the Swiss Government has also extended its monetary support of Rs 15 million.

“We have commenced the construction of the hospital with Rs 25 million—Rs10 million was provided by the eight local units and Rs15 million from the Swiss government,” said Rai, “We are searching for fund sources for the remaining amount needed to complete the hospital’s construction.”

Rai said that they were looking for financial support from the provincial and federal governments for the completion of the hospital.

Santosh Rai, engineer at the municipality who is looking over the hospital’s construction work, said that the construction work will be completed within the stipulated deadline.

At present, the municipality is running an isolation centre in the four-bigha land where the hospital is being constructed.

According to the municipality’s health unit, 55 people who were receiving treatment at the isolation centre have returned home after recovering from Covid-19. Five people are currently undergoing treatment at the facility that can hold upto 25 people.