Hospital serves patients under tents

GORKHA, JUN 08 - The Gorkha Hospital has been struggling to provide services to people as its buildings were destroyed by the April 25 earthquake.

Doctors and other health professionals are providing services from tents whereas patients are compelled to stay in the makeshift structures on the hospital premises.

A patient from Choprak said they find it uncomfortable to live under the tents. However, patients still undergo surgeries inside cracked building and are immediately rushed to tents after completion.  

Hospital chief Dr Sudha Devkota said almost all buildings have been damaged by the quake and that all services, except surgeries, are provided from the tents.

 “We are struggling to provide services to patients instead of referring them to other hospitals,” Dr Devkota said, informing that they have also been providing special care to pregnant and post-natal women, children and the disabled.

Even the hospital staffers are staying in the rents as their residential building has also been destroyed by the quake.

Information Officer Sahayab Prasad said many patients, including their helpers, are finding it difficult to live under tents due to the lack of adequate infrastructure. He said the hospital is also facing a shortage of medicine after the earthquake. “We have demanded medicine worth Rs 650, 000 from the ministry,” Prasad said.

Doctors at the hospital, meanwhile, said it will too difficult to treat patients under the tents during the monsoon.

Lack of human resources is another major problem the hospital is facing these days. Dr Devkota also informed that they cannot perform all surgeries as they do not have specialists. “The Health Ministry has sent some specialist doctors but they have not arrived yet,” she said, adding that they have already informed the concerned minister about the problem.