Pudabaula basic health center struggles with service delivery due to lack of building

Bajura: Service delivery has been affected due to the lack of a proper building at Pudabaula Basic Health Center located in Khaptad Chhededah Rural Municipality-3 of Bajura. The health center currently operates from only one small building, creating difficulties in daily patient check-ups and overall service delivery.

In-charge of Pudabaula Basic Health Center, Khamm Mijar, said the single, small building is insufficient for providing essential services. “There are no separate rooms for store, OPD, and delivery waiting rooms in the building,” he said. He added that the main problem is the lack of a proper delivery and waiting room. “After delivery, the patient has to be kept in the health center for 24 hours, but we do not have a waiting room for that. Due to this, we are forced to place another bed in the delivery room,” he said.

In-charge Mijar said that service delivery is also being affected by a shortage of staff. Currently, four employees, including the health center in-charge, a nurse, a nurse, and an office assistant, are working on a contract basis.

Ward Chair Birka Bahadur Rawat of Khaptad Chhededah Rural Municipality-3 said that a request had been made to the previous federal government for the construction of a health center building. However, due to a change of government in between, no information has been received so far. The health center building was constructed by the previous municipal government, after which service delivery had resumed.

Pudabaula Basic Health Center is the only health institution in Ward No. 3 of the municipality. According to the National Census 2078, the ward has a population of about 3,000. The municipality has been providing health services despite many difficulties after starting a birthing center at the health center a few years ago.

In-charge Khamm Mijar said that more than 600 patients have received treatment at the basic health center so far in the current fiscal year. During the same period, 82 children were vaccinated, 179 were treated at the village clinic, 525 were referred to the institution with general consultation by female volunteers, and six people received safe delivery services.

Following the implementation of the federal structure, the government brought basic health centers into operation in wards where there were no health posts in the former VDCs. Basic health centers are currently operating in Wards 3 and 6 of Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality, while the remaining five wards have health posts with adequate staff.