BARDIYA, April 28: Kamala Ghimire, a resident of Gulariya-6 who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday experienced difficulty in breathing on Monday evening. Bipin Pokhrel, a relative of Ghimire stated on his facebook that he could not find any bed with oxygen support in Gulariya. He suspected that the oxygen level in Ghimire's body had decreased. On his facebook post, Pokhrel also stated that he could not find any oximeter in any pharmacies of Gulariya of Bardiya district. A human body is considered to be in a critical state, if the oxygen level decreases below 90.
As Ghimire’s health condition got worse, she was referred to Kohalpur Teaching Hospital and Bheri Hospital of Banke which immediately rejected her admission. Upon checking her oxygen level through an oximeter brought from Nepalgunj, her oxygen level was shown below 80. Finally, she was admitted to an isolation center in Bardiya Municipality, north of Gulariya.
Due to lack of beds, medicines and oxygen, there is no other option than to chant prayers. People depending on Bheri and Kohalpur corona hospitals are at the risk of losing their lives. Four people from Bardiya were infected by the second wave of the coronavirus since the last weeks of March.
Garbage piled up in Bheri Hospital
Over the next three weeks, almost 400 cases of infections were found after conducting antigen tests. Two hundred corona antigens have been distributed in each of the eight local bodies. Also, not even a single anesthetist is available in the district where there are no corona hospitals.
The total number of infected persons in the district has reached 2,071 while eight people have lost their lives in the second wave of COVID-19 taking the death tally to 27 in the region. The frightening situation in Banke district has led the local citizens of Bardiya to believe that the situation will not be normal in their district as well. Banke and Bardiya share an open 82 km long border which has been a challenge to stop the traffic in the region. However, the police are showing readiness for health standards and awareness. According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Iswar Karki, the traffic in the region has come to a halt. Also, doctors have stated that even though the situation seems to be normal in Bardiya at the moment, the rate of infection may increase and become frightening.
So far, 16 people have lost their lives in Banke due to the second wave of the coronavirus. Over 90 percent of the people had tested positive in a checkup recorded earlier in Banke. Due to the increasing number of daily infections, the corona wards of COVID hospitals in Bheri and Kohalpur have been sending infected patients home as the hospitals are in no state of admitting patients from other districts.
Dr Prakash Thapa, a doctor at the COVID ward of Bheri Hospital stated on social media that the hospital may be able to admit patients after the dead bodies are removed and that the hospital is currently packed with patients. Even as patients are returning home after not getting any treatment at the hospital, COVID wards with oxygen facilities have still not come into operation. The relatives of coronavirus patients from Bardiya have stated that the deceased did not get any treatment.
According to Chief District Officer Shanta Bahadur Sunar, COVID wards without oxygen support were built much earlier. “COVID wards are ready but there is no oxygen at the moment,” he said. He also stated that the 5- and 7-bed COVID-19 wards in Madhuban, Geruwa, Bashghadi and Rajapur have already been built. However, the wards of Basgadhi and Madhuban haven’t come into use as the doctors there have been themselves infected.
An infected person from Pakhaipur, Rajapur-10, said she was admitted to Bheri Hospital after waiting for three days. “No new patient has been admitted to the hospital since the past two weeks. Due to the lack of oxygen in Bardiya, I was left in a critical state but somehow managed to survive. Maybe it was because of the prayers I chanted,”
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