Services at Bajhang District Hospital have been greatly affected after last week’s floods and landslides disrupted electricity supply in the district.

Samita Shahi, who is in her early thirties and suffering from respiratory problems and chest pain, reached the district hospital at around 9am on Sunday after walking for three hours, as transport services remain disrupted after floods damaged the road. A health worker immediately examined her and told her to get an X-ray of her chest.

“I had to wait for hours to get an X-ray done due to power disruption. I finally got the report at 4pm. By the time I showed the report to the doctor, it was already late and I had to stay the night at the district headquarters,” said Shahi.

Electricity supply at the district hospital has been disrupted for the past one week. The health institution has been operating a generator every day, but only for a short period of time as the district is facing a shortage of diesel.

Because of the power disruption, patients have to wait for hours to get their health checkups.

“It has been a week since the electricity supply got disrupted. We have been providing services by operating generators. All roads have been disrupted by floods and landslides and there is an acute shortage of diesel in the market,” said Dr Yogendra Khati, the acting chief at the district hospital. He warns that the district hospital will run out of diesel within a few days.

Various services like the oxygen plant, nebulizer, X-ray and ultrasound have been affected in the hospital, leaving hundreds of patients in hardships. The emergency unit has been hit the hardest by power disruption.

According to Dr Khati, those injured by floods and landslides and pregnant women who require urgent surgery have been deprived of emergency health services.

The hospital says it receives more than 100 patients on a daily basis.

Similarly, power supply has been disrupted in Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang, after floods and landslides swept away utility poles in various places of the district. Electricity generated by the 200 kilowatt Surmadevi Hydropower Project is being supplied to Chainpur at present. But the district hospital, which lies in the Simkhet area, remains in darkness.

The hospital administration said that it had informed the Bajhang distribution centre of Nepal Electricity Authority about the power disruption and urged it to supply the hospital with electricity produced by Surmadevi Hydropower Project.

However, the electricity office says it has been unable to supply power to the district hospital, as many electricity poles have been swept away by floods and landslides.

“We are aware of the problems faced by the district hospital due to power disruption. It will take a few more days to supply electricity to the hospital,” said Harendra Raya Yadav, the chief at the distribution centre. He said his office would soon supply electricity generated by the Surmadevi Hydropower Project to the hospital.

Yadav, however, said that it would take time to repair the national transmission line in the district. According to him, more than 100 electricity poles from Khopade of Baitadi district to Chainpur were damaged by last week’s floods and landslides.