Makawanpur. The foundation of 396 local level hospital building has been laid today with the aim to expand access to health services at the local levels. The ministry of Health and Population is going to build 5 to 15 beds hospitals at 396 local levels where there were no access to the health services in the first phase.

On Monday, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel laid the foundation of a hospital building being constructed in Godavari Municipality of Lalitpur.

Similarly, former PM and senior leader of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) JhalaNathKhanal has laid the foundation of Hospitals to be built Suryodaya Municipality, Mai Municipality and Sandakpur Gaupalika of Ilam.

Similarly, Health Minister Bhanubhakta Dhakal will lay the foundation of the communicable disease hospital building being constructed in Bharatpur, Chitwan. Government had announced to set up communicable disease hospital in all the seven states within this fiscal year. Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Jageshwar Gautam said that the foundation of 50 bed infectious diseases hospital building would be laid in all the states on Monday.

The government has allocated budget for the hospital this fiscal year with the objective to providing health services to the patients with communicable diseases in the state. At present, the association has the only Shukraraj Tropical and Communicable Diseases Hospital. The federal parliamentarian and the head of the municipality has also laid the foundation stone of the hospital building to be built in the municipality.

Earlier, the ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has directed the municipality to make arrangements for laying the foundation stone of the hospital building. Out of 753 Municipalities, 649 municipalities do not have any hospitals. In the first phase, it is program to build the hospital in 396 municipalities.

The foundation has been laid at 32 local levels in Province No.1, 20 local levels in Province No.2, 19 local levels of Bagmati State, 53 local levels in Gandaki Province, 60 local levels in Lumbini State, 28 Local levels in Karnali Province and 34 local level hospitals in Far-western Province.

In the first phase, the Ministry of Finance has sent a budget of Rs.64 Arba and 9 Crore to 396 municipalities to build 5 to 15 bed hospitals. The ministry said that Rs. 7 million has been sent for a 5 bed hospitals, Rs. 8.5 million for 10 bed hospital and Rs.10 million for 15 bed hospital.

The foundation has been laid at five local levels of Makawanpur today. The foundation stone has been laid for 15 bed hospital building in Thaha and Manahari Municipality, 10 bed hospital in Raksirang and Kailash Gaupalika and 5 bed hospital building in Indrasarowar Gaupalika. Bagmati State Chief Minister Dormani Paudel has laid the foundation stone of the hospital building being constructed in Manahari.