Province Government and Lamkichuha Municipality Clash Over Regional Hospital Operations

Dhangadhi. A dispute has arisen between the Sudurpaschim Province Government and the Lamkichuha Municipality over the operation and management of the Lamkichuha Regional Hospital in Kailali. The distance between the two governments has reached its peak after the local government, despite a Supreme Court order and significant investment from the province government, disrespectfully removed employees from their workspaces. The Province Government's Social Development Ministry had assigned eighth-level Medical Officer Dr. Kamlesh Prasad Yadav, sixth-level Accounts Officer Ganesh Bist, and Nasu Laxmi Shrestha for hospital operations, but they were expelled from their offices under the direction of the Mayor of Lamkichuha Municipality, Sushila Shahi, by the municipal police. Employees complained of disrespectful behavior upon reaching the hospital, with staff saying, 'The Province Government has no authority here.' Previously, the Province Government had also complained that Mayor Shahi obstructed a provincial program by positioning a fire engine and ambulance at the hospital's main gate. Amidst the dispute, data shows the province government has already made substantial investments for the hospital's upgrade. For the current fiscal year 2082/083 alone, 4 crore 87 lakh 50 thousand rupees have been allocated for the operation and upgrade of the hospital to make it a modern 50-bed regional facility from its current 15 beds. Furthermore, to make the hospital technology-friendly, modern machines worth 3 crore 31 lakh rupees (Sickle Cell/Thalassemia Screening, Digital X-ray, and state-of-the-art Lab Analyzer) have already been provided to the municipality. A total of 146 employees have been approved for the staffing quota to ensure specialist services. The municipality had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the formation of the Province Government's Hospital Management Committee. However, after the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim order in favor of the province government on Baishakh 14, the legal path was cleared for the province to proceed with its administrative work. Despite the ministry formally corresponding three times for hospital handover on Baishakh 20, Jestha 7, and Jestha 13, the municipality had been ignoring it. Dr. Hemraj Regmi, Secretary of the Social Development Ministry, clarified in a statement on Baishakh 21 that no agreement or understanding was reached during the discussion with the mayor. He urged the public not to fall for misleading information spreading on social media and stated that the province government is committed to providing quality health services. With the dispute over Lamkichuha Hospital continuing for a month and a half between Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah and Lamkichuha Municipality Mayor Shahi, there is a growing risk of the budget allocated by the province government being frozen. The work to upgrade the 15-bed hospital to a 50-bed regional hospital has been affected due to the lack of coordination between these two representatives, who were elected from the same political party, Nepali Congress, and are residents of the same municipality. Chief Minister Shah himself has been expressing concern about the increasing risk of the budget being frozen.