MYAGDI: A municipal hospital building in Dobagaun of Annapurna Rural Municipality-1, northern Myagdi, has remained unused for four years due to a lack of budget and manpower.
Situated on a steep slope away from the main settlement, the yellow concrete building appears well-constructed from the outside but stands empty inside. Although the five-bed hospital was completed in 2078 BS, it has yet to receive essential medical equipment or doctors. As a result, the structure, built at a cost of over Rs 51.12 million, is gradually deteriorating.
Dobagaun lies about 15-20 minutes by vehicle from the hospital site, in a remote area with limited road access and scattered settlements. The facility was constructed on more than 12 ropanis of land donated free of cost by seven local residents, in line with the federal government’s policy to establish basic hospitals in every local unit. However, the absence of operational planning has left the building unused.
Ward Chairperson Dilip Kumar Garbuja said the hospital could not be brought into operation due to insufficient budget allocation and failure to manage human resources, including doctors and health workers. He added that despite the completion of the earthquake-resistant building with 35 rooms, including emergency, inpatient and outpatient wards, laboratory, administrative offices, medicine storage, treatment rooms, and staff quarters, no authority at the federal, provincial, or local level has ensured its functionality.
Local resident Manasara Garbuja expressed frustration that villagers still have to travel to Beni even for minor medical treatment. Rural Municipality Chairperson Bharat Pun also acknowledged that although the infrastructure has been built, the required equipment and personnel have not been arranged by the concerned governments, leaving the facility idle.
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