Dhualagiri Ayurvedic Hospital’s Upgradation Process in Final Stage, Expanding Services with an Increase of 25 Beds
Nepal Health News, Baglung: Significant improvements are underway in both services and infrastructure at Dhualagiri Ayurvedic Hospital, located in the heart of Baglung Bazaar, the capital of Gandaki Province. This hospital, which has been offering services with just five beds, is in the final stages of being upgraded to a 25-bed facility, with preparations being made by the Gandaki Provincial Government.
The provincial government has allocated a budget of NPR 4.4 million for the hospital’s upgradation in the current fiscal year. The construction of physical infrastructure is progressing rapidly with the budget. The construction work, being carried out by Balewa Bhairav Construction Services, is costing NPR 3.1 million, and so far, five rooms have been constructed on the roof and three rooms on the ground floor using prefabricated technology.
According to the hospital's head, Dr. Sharad Panthi, the increasing number of patients has made it difficult to provide services in the current cramped building. "In the future, we will move the administration to the second floor, and the current ground floor will be fully used as the service center," Dr. Panthi stated.
The new rooms built on the ground floor will be used as a chemotherapy room, pharmacy, and Ayurvedic medicine production area. This is expected to broaden the scope of the hospital's services. The Cabinet meeting on 12th Kartik (October) had decided to upgrade Dhualagiri Ayurvedic Hospital to a 25-bed facility. Later, on 19th Mangsir (December), the institution’s name was changed to Dhualagiri Ayurvedic Hospital.
Currently, the hospital employs six permanent and 14 contract-based doctors, nurses, paramedics, and therapists. Although the field-based monitoring and evaluation report of ONM has been approved by the Cabinet, Dr. Panthi informed that the chief secretary’s certification is still pending. Once certified, 39 permanent health staff will be employed at the hospital, and preparations are underway to include specialists in general, internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and acupuncture.
Along with the expansion of services, efforts are being made to acquire land for additional construction. The 25-bed hospital will require more infrastructure, and once land is acquired, the provincial government is committed to ensuring there will be no shortage of budget, Dr. Panthi mentioned.
Ayurvedic methods are proving to be effective in the treatment of chronic diseases. As a result, the hospital, which appeared deserted a few years ago, now sees a significant increase in the number of patients. Dr. Panthi mentioned that last year, more than 11,000 patients received services, and by the end of the current fiscal year in Falgun (February), over 15,000 patients had utilized the hospital’s services.
