BAGLUNG: The newborn intensive care unit (NICU) being constructed in Dhaulagiri Hospital has been in limbo for lack of sufficient budget to complete the construction.

As high as Rs 30 million is expected to complete the construction of the NICU in the hospital. The hospital initiated the move to construct the NICU after the Gandaki Province Government doled out Rs 6 million in the last fiscal year.

Acting Medical Superintendent of Dhaulagiri Hospital, Dr Shailendra BK Pokhrel, said that the given amount was insufficient to procure equipment needed for the NICU setup.”We lack budget to prepare all infrastructures and procure equipment,” Dr Pokhrel said.

For the emergency use, the Dhaulagiri Hospital has run the NICU ventilator amid limited human resources.