Birgunj, April 25
Stakeholders in Province 2 have commented that the province is not well-prepared to combat the Covid-19 outbreak in the region although a few cases have already been confirmed.
They say there are not sufficient hospitals, medical personnel, and equipment. Some government-run district hospitals are constructing new buildings whereas private hospitals have not launched any preparations to respond to the emergency situation.
The federal government has assigned the provincial hospital in Janakpurdham and Narayani Sub-regional Hospital in Birgunj to take care of the Covid-19 patients. The Birgunj-based facility already started hosting the Covid-19 patients whereas the Janakpur hospital is not prepared yet. Consequently, all five Covid-19 patients in the province are undergoing treatment in Birgunj currently.
The Janakpur hospital has started PCR tests for the coronavirus, but the samples are being sent to Kathmandu for verification.
Earlier, the provincial government had announced that Kalaiya Hospital in Bara and Jaleshwar Hospital in Mahottari would be developed as Covid-19-dedicated hospitals, but the plan is yet to materialise. There is not even an isolation ward in Kalaiya. The hospital management team and the provincial government are at odds over some managerial issues.
Likewise, Jaleshwar Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Rajeev Jha says his institution is reeling under a shortage of workforce and materials to develop into a Covid-19 hospital.
