By Dhyan Kulung, Sankhuwasabha, Feb. 7:  Previously, the building of Tamkhu Primary Health Center at Silichong Rural Municipality used to look very old and weary with less number of health workers.

The number of patients visiting the health post also used to be low. The scenario of the health center has changed now.

Now, a team of doctors provide health services daily to the patients. The health center also hosts various laboratory equipment and ECG, X-ray, Video X-ray services and so forth.

The rural municipality denizens who earlier had to visit district hospitals while suffering from minor health problems have been receiving quality health service in their village itself.  

The locals of Silichong seemed happy about how their expenditures of visiting district hospitals were saved due to the availability of quality health service at their own locality.

The health center, which was in deteriorating condition due to unavailability of health professionals and health services, has been upgraded after the formation of local level government.

Apart from Primary Health Center, Silichong hosts three health posts, one basic health service center and eight community health units. All health centers have competent health professionals, said Dipendra Kumar Kulung, Coordinator of health department.

He said that one doctor and 44 health professionals had been providing health services in the Rural Municipality.

“We’ve been providing 35 different medicines in health units and health posts and 58 in primary health centers for free,” he said.

Along with health service in health center, we have been providing round-up health services in all the villages, Kulung added.

Kulung said, “As medicine provided by the central level will not be enough, the local level allocates separate budget for medicine.”

A budget of Rs. 1 million is allocated for health equipment apart from medicines.

As the so-called newly constructed building of health post was in dreadful and waters were also leaking from the ceilings, the local level itself renovated the building.

Ram Bahadur Kulung, Chair of Rural Municipality said, “We have planned of laying trust over the roof of the building to prevent water leakage.”

“After the trust is laid, the health post’s rooftop would serve as the biggest and attractive looking assembly hall in the rural municipality.”

He said that tiles would be laid in the floors of the health center during renovation.

Chair Kulung said that building for health units were also being constructed back to back.