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DANG, Oct 20: The latest directive of the Ministry of Health that makes it mandatory for hospitals to open its OPD from 10 am to 5 pm has failed yet again in Dang district.
As per the directive, which was issued 10 days ago, it is mandatory for all the doctors to be on duty till five in the evening. The health centers, however, are still stuck on their 10 to 3 schedule, due to lack of quota of doctors.
A team of students had monitored Rapti Sub-Regional Hospital of Dang district on Tuesday. During the monitoring, only one doctor was found working in emergency ward after 3 pm.
The OPD, which should have been open as per the directive, was already closed. The 28 doctors including the superintendent of the hospital was nowhere to be seen, students shared their observation with Republica.
“All the doctors leave after 3 pm. So we close the OPD,” said the helper of the hospital, Meena GM. “The remaining patients who come after three are sent to the emergency ward where a doctor always stay on duty,” said Ganesh Dahal, the store manager.
The doctors apparently arrive at around 10 to 11 am and leave at 3 pm after checking patients, according to the locals. Doctors then go to their private clinics.
The nearby Tulsipur Hospital is also not following the directive. “We received the written directive some 8-10 days ago, but we are yet to discuss and implement it. The doctors here are still leaving at 3 pm,” said the management committee spokesperson Than Bahadur KC. He said that the reason why they are yet to discuss the matter might be because the superintendent Dr Bholaram Sherestha has just been transferred to the hospital.
However, the main reason for neglecting the directive is limited staff at the hospitals. The superintendent of Rapti Hospital Dr Janardan Panthi said, “The quota of doctors and other medical staff are yet to be fulfilled. Only a few of us have to handle all the wards of the hospital. Being under-staffed, we cannot follow the mandate.” We are going to discuss the matter and suggest the government alternative solutions to this problem, he added.
The situation is no different in Rapti district hospital. The management committee's spokesperson KC said, “The hospital has only 10 doctors though it has a quota of 20,” he said, adding that it is impossible to follow the directive unless we get extra staff.
Another major confusion for the hospitals has been the timing for patient registration. “If we keep registering patients till 5 pm we will have to work till midnight to treat them all,” said Dr Panthi.
