Banke – Duduwa Rural Municipality has constructed a five-bed community-level basic hospital to serve the poor and flood-affected residents of the region.
According to Rural Municipality Chairperson Narendra Chaudhary, the hospital was established because residents along the Rapti River are frequently affected by outbreaks of diarrhea, cholera, scabies, and skin infections, especially during floods.
Chairperson Chaudhary explained that due to poverty, many flood victims are unable to reach larger hospitals in Nepalgunj, putting them at serious health risk. The newly constructed hospital aims to provide free treatment locally to those vulnerable communities.
He added that areas like Duduwa, Gandhaili, and Sutiya, located near the Rapti River and its tributaries, often get submerged during floods, making access to healthcare extremely difficult. In some cases, residents of flood-prone Chauferi village, surrounded on three sides by the river, even struggle to escape with their lives during emergencies.
The rural municipality plans to launch the hospital in Betahani before the monsoon intensifies, so that patients unable to travel to urban areas during floods can receive timely medical care right in their own region.
Local resident Ramferran Gupta shared that in past years, many lives were put at risk due to the spread of communicable diseases post-flooding and lack of timely treatment. With the establishment of the hospital, hope has grown among the locals for immediate medical attention in future emergencies.
He also noted that annual flooding from the Rapti River and nearby streams repeatedly brings waterborne diseases to the area, making healthcare access crucial.
