PM Oli inaugurates Bhagiratha Neupane Buddhashanti Hospital

Jhapa: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has inaugurated the Bhagiratha Neupane Buddhashanti Hospital amid a special ceremony held today.

The 10-bed hospital has been constructed on 15 katthas of land donated by the family of Bhagiratha Neupane, Nepal’s first female Pradhan Panch. Located in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-3, the hospital was built at a cost of Rs 65 million.

According to Manoj Prasai, Chairperson of Buddhashanti Rural Municipality and the Hospital Management Committee, the hospital has been named in memory of the late Bhagiratha Neupane, who served as the Pradhan Panch of the then Budhwara Village Panchayat.

The hospital currently employs six doctors, including one MD, four MBBS physicians, and one radiologist. Of these, three MBBS doctors have been appointed by the municipality from its own resources.

The hospital offers both outpatient and inpatient services across various departments, including general medicine, general surgery, gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, dental care, primary eye care, laboratory testing, pharmacy, X-ray imaging, and cardiac echo services.

Chairperson Prasai stated that 24-hour emergency and maternity services will begin from July 1. He also informed that the municipality has formally enforced the Bhagiratha Neupane Buddhashanti Hospital (Operation and Management) Procedure 2082, published in the Buddhashanti Gazette on Jestha 26.

As per the procedure, the rural municipality chairperson serves as the ex-officio chair of the hospital management committee. The guidelines also establish a separate fund for the hospital’s operation.

Bhagiratha Hospital is the only government hospital in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality, which borders Ilam district. It is expected to serve over 53,000 residents of Buddhashanti, along with patients from nearby areas of southern Ilam.