Beljhundi Corona Hospital is full of infected people

KATHMANDU: SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2021 – The Corona Special Hospital in Beljhundi of Dang is full. The hospital, which has a capacity of 25 people, currently has 26 Covid-19 infected people, said Drona Oli, manager of the hospital.

According to him, five people have been treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while 21 others have been treated in the General Ward. Oxygen has also been given to 21 people in the general ward. “We have a capacity of 25 people, of which five have ICU beds,” he said, “but now we are forced to have 26.”

As the number of infected people has been increasing lately, there is concern about how to manage the infected people, said Oli. At present, the hospital has 15 patients from Ghorahi, eight from Tulsipur, two from Shantinagar and one from Rolpa.

Corona Special Hospital is operated in Ayurveda Teaching Hospital under Nepal Sanskrit University. Only the ground floor is used for the hospital. BAMS classes are being conducted on the upper floor. The hospital has the capacity to run up to 55 beds if it can operate on the upper two and three floors as well, said Oli. “Patients are kept on the ground floor. In such a case, there is a fear of infection when the classroom is run on the upper floor,” he said.

Saying that the hospital is full now, the chances of the patients getting beds are low, said Oli. Inspector at the Public Health Promotion Branch of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolis, Bimal KC, said that the management would be easier if the infected people’s representatives and the nearest health institution were contacted.

‘Hospital is running on debt’
According to manager Oli, the hospital is currently running on loan. Oxygen alone costs between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000 daily. He complained that the government has not provided funds to the hospital even though other management expenses have been incurred up to Rs. 200,000.

According to him, no budget has been received from the Lumbini state government since Ashoj last year. “Not a single rupee has come since last Ashoj,” he said, “so now we have run it by lending.” -RSS