Unfinished 10-Bed Basic Hospital in Baglung's Nisikhola Turns into Cattle Shed Due to Budget Delays

Baglung. A building stands starkly by the bank of Nisikhola. Walls covered in moss. The two-story concrete building has neither been painted nor maintained. The ground floor is covered in weeds. Livestock take shelter here and defecate. The eyes of every traveler on the Mid-Hill Highway stop at this building. And travelers start thinking, 'What building could this be? Why is it abandoned?' The building now stands where paddy fields flourished four years ago.

The abandoned building belongs to a basic hospital. The hospital building has become derelict before its completion. It has been more than four years since construction began on the 10-bed basic hospital being built in Jhimpa, Ward No. 4 of Nisikhola Rural Municipality, Baglung. Although work proceeded rapidly in the initial stages of construction, it is now in a state of abandonment. Locals provided fertile paddy land free of cost for the hospital, but they are disappointed that the hospital is still not complete. According to the agreement, the hospital should have been completed two years ago.

The basic hospital is being built with the support of the Federal Government. Although the estimated cost was 10 crore 94 lakh rupees, Hindung/AC/IS JB Construction had taken the responsibility to build it for eight crore 24 lakh rupees. Although the standard mentioned that 7 ropani 2 anna of land was required for the hospital building construction, locals provided eight ropani of land free of cost.

The agreement for construction was signed on Magh 20, 2078 BS, and work began. Accordingly, it was supposed to be completed by the end of Poush 2080 BS. However, it has been abandoned due to a lack of budget. The construction company stopped working two years ago because they did not receive payment. Deepak Adai, the head of the construction company, stated that about 90 lakh rupees for the work done is yet to be paid. However, he mentioned that about 90 percent of the work has been completed so far.

'We hired laborers and worked rapidly. We were working to finish the construction two years ago. But we were forced to stop work when the budget didn't arrive,' Adai said, 'We are yet to receive payment of 90 lakh rupees for the work done. If additional budget arrives beyond that, we will start work.'

He claimed that if the government manages the budget, the work will be completed in 45 days. He mentioned that work continued regularly until Ashoj 2080 BS, but stopped afterward. He complained that payment for the work was irregular from the beginning. He stated that not receiving about one crore rupees has caused problems in transactions.

The local people are currently using the abandoned hospital building to tie up livestock and store fodder. Locals say that because the government is not responsible towards its citizens, many structures, including this hospital, are being left abandoned. 

He said, 'We visited the Rural Municipality and the Ministry in the Federal Government, but the budget did not arrive. If the budget doesn't come, how can we work? We cannot move forward with the work until the government pays and ensures the budget for the remaining work.'

Since the hospital is being built from the Federal Government's budget, the Rural Municipality cannot invest. Although it was envisioned as a well-equipped two-story building, the risk of it deteriorating before completion is increasing. Jivan Pun Magar, the Chief Administrative Officer of Nisikhola Rural Municipality, stated that the project is in a state of abandonment because the Federal Government has not sent the budget. He explained that since it is a Federal Government project, the local level cannot allocate the budget, preventing the work from moving forward.

'The hospital is abandoned. Since it is a Federal Government project, the local level cannot allocate the budget. Allocating budget and doing the work would result in duplication, which would create another problem, so we are waiting for the Federal Government's budget,' Pun Magar said.

He stated that the work will be completed once 1 crore 70 lakh rupees are received from the Federal Government. He mentioned that despite repeatedly visiting the ministry to request the necessary budget to complete the hospital building, the budget has not been sent. He also stated that the Municipality is eager to complete the hospital.

There is an expectation that specialized services will be provided from Nisikhola once the hospital is completed. It was started construction at the foot of Jhimpa village, convenient for the citizens of Wards No. 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Rural Municipality. It is also expected to facilitate treatment for Nisikhola residents and those who suddenly fall ill or get injured in accidents while traveling on the Mid-Hill Highway.

Surya Bahadur Ghartimagar, the Chairman of the Rural Municipality, stated that thousands of citizens in Nisikhola will benefit from easy treatment once specialized health services begin at the hospital. He mentioned that for years, the citizens here have been deprived of easy access to health services, and with the construction of the basic hospital, they will be able to receive convenient services from their own locality.

He said, 'We went to the center many times, but the budget for the hospital did not arrive. We met the minister, secretary, and parliamentarians, and explained our demands. Our pleas were not heard. Seeing the condition of the hospital, many people criticize us. If we could invest and build it, the work would have been nearly finished by now.'

Chairman Gharti stated that in the past, many citizens here had to lose their lives prematurely due to lack of medical treatment, and operating a hospital here would bring relief to the citizens. He mentioned that the compulsion to go to Burtibang even for minor illnesses would be removed, saving citizens' health, time, and money.

'Citizens in the remote areas of Nisikhola have not been able to receive health services easily for years. We are confident that citizens who could not even get basic health services will receive specialized services after the construction of this hospital here,' he said.

The local people are currently using the abandoned hospital building to tie up livestock and store fodder. Locals say that because the government is not responsible towards its citizens, many structures, including this hospital, are being left abandoned.