Surkhet, Oct 22: According to the Health Service Directorate, only 31 local levels in 10 districts of Karnali Province have operational basic hospitals. The province consists of 25 municipalities and 54 rural municipalities, with a total of 79 local levels and 718 wards.
In Dolpa, which has eight local levels, there is a 15-bed district hospital and 23 health posts. Basic hospitals have not been constructed in the local levels here.
In Mugu, there is one district hospital and 24 health posts. However, basic hospitals have not been built in four local levels here. In Humla, there are 26 health posts and one district hospital. The province has seven local levels.
In Jumla, there are 29 health posts and one primary health center. There is no district hospital. The federal government has established the Karnali Health Institute, which has facilitated healthcare access in the province. Jumla has eight local levels.
In Kalikot, there are 27 health posts and one district hospital. Among the nine local levels, five have primary hospitals. In Dailekh, there are four primary hospitals and 55 health posts. Of the 11 local levels here, four have primary hospitals. In Jajarkot, there are three primary hospitals and 30 health posts across seven local levels, as reported by Navraj Kandel, Information Officer at the Health Service Directorate.
In Rukum West, there is one general hospital, four basic hospitals, and one district hospital. There are four private hospitals in the region, which has six local levels. In Salyan, with 10 local levels, there are two primary hospitals and 44 health posts.
In Surkhet, there is one COVID hospital, one secondary hospital, one general hospital, one primary hospital, 47 health posts, and four private hospitals. There are also three primary health centers. Surkhet has nine local levels.
Karnali has 21 primary hospitals and 330 health posts in total, along with seven district hospitals and 11 primary health centers. However, basic hospitals have still not been established in 48 local levels. Due to geographical difficulties, basic-level hospitals have not been built in all municipalities, preventing the general public from receiving accessible healthcare services.
To improve healthcare in Karnali Province, the provincial government has initiated various plans. The government has launched schemes to reduce non-communicable diseases, the prevalence of teenage pregnancies, and home deliveries.
In recent times, the incidence of non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, as well as mental health issues, has been increasing. Due to rising mental health problems and non-communicable diseases in rural areas, the Health Service Directorate has announced plans to launch programs and allocate budget for diagnosis and treatment.
Furthermore, to address the rising rates of teenage motherhood, programs aimed at reducing child marriage will be coordinated with local levels across the province.
There has been a decline in the rate of home deliveries in health institutions in Karnali, but due to the lack of proper standards in some established birthing centers, the rate of home deliveries has increased. Plans are underway to establish birthing centers according to the required standards and to recruit qualified personnel, according to Dr. Rabin Khadka, Director of the Health Service Directorate. Compared to the past, there has been an 8% increase in home deliveries in Karnali.
Parents in Karnali often migrate to India for work, leaving their children without proper vaccination. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of children missing out on full vaccinations. The Health Directorate has decided to take proactive steps to ensure that all children are fully vaccinated, with coordinated efforts from local levels.
Dr. Khadka, the Health Director, mentioned that although Karnali Province has already achieved full vaccination coverage, there are still children who miss their vaccinations, and efforts will be made to ensure that they are vaccinated with the necessary coordination from local levels. #karnali #health #hospital #rss
