Durga Jethara, a resident of Dadimati in KI Singh Rural Municipality, had to deliver her babies twice on the way to a hospital. She survived but lost both of her newborns. Like Durga, there are many women in her village whose lives are at risk because there is not a single health institution for safe delivery nearby. A patient has to be carried to the district hospital in Silgadhi, a five-hour walk from Dadimati, for treatment.

Nanna Jethara, Durga’s sister-in-law, suffered from a miscarriage during her pregnancy, as she was unable to get regular health check-ups.

On Friday, Durga, Nanna and many other villagers looked happy while attending a function in Dadimati. The reason being that the rural municipality Chairman Lokendra Bahadur Shahi had just inaugurated a new Community Health Centre in the settlement. The locals enthusiastically attended the inaugural function and expressed their happiness with the establishment of a health facility in the village.

“I lost two of my children due to a lack of health post in the village. Other women in the village will not have to face such ordeal anymore, as a health centre has finally been set up in our settlement,” said Durga.

According to the people’s representatives, they prioritised the establishment of a health facility in Dadimati, as many people there were deprived of timely treatment.

“Nobody in the village will lose their life in want of treatment now onward,” said Shahi, while addressing the inaugural function.

During the local level elections in 2017, various parties and their candidates had promised to establish a health institution in the village. “The commitment we expressed during the elections has finally materialised after two and a half years,” said Shahi.

The newly established health centre, according to the municipality’s health unit, will provide prenatal check-ups, safe maternity services, immunisation programmes and other primary treatments. According to Tilak Bahadur Bohara, the chief of the health unit, thousands of people from Dadimati, Amgaun, Mauda and Naridang, among other settlements, will benefit from the health centre.

“We had to walk for hours to reach Tikhattar Health Post to receive treatment for even minor illnesses. There was no other alternative,” said Suntali BK, a local woman. “With the establishment of the health post, the villagers won’t have to face such hardships anymore.”

KI Singh Rural Municipality has established eight community health centres in various remote villages, including Dadimati. The local body plans to upgrade Durgamandau Health Post as a 15-bed hospital.