Two government hospitals in Dang district are struggling without ambulance.
Rapti Zonal Hospital, Tulsipur has its ambulance broken down for long, but authorities are least concerned. As a result, patients visiting the hospital are forced to use private ambulance, said the hospital's information officer Kamal Subedi. To add to patients' woes, private ambulances charge them higher.
Likewise, Rapti Academy of Health Sciences (RAHS) is also facing difficulties as its ambulance is dysfunctional for the past 10 years.
The provincial government has in its budget for the fiscal year of 2018/19 announced to provide two ambulances to each zonal hospital. The hospital is waiting for the implementation of the announcement, said Subedi.
Out of the total 62 ambulances operated by Rapti Zonal Hospital, RAHS, Lions Club of Tulsipur, Ghorahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Hotel Entrepreneur Committee, Ghorahi in Dang districts, 55 are into operation at present.
Concerned authorities are apathetic toward repairing these dysfunctional ambulances, said President of the Joint Ambulance Drivers’ Association, Dang Indra Bahadur KC.
