At a public function held at Chhaprari Bazar, Siraha on Friday May 18, 2007, Ambassador of India laid the foundation stone for the new building of Mahendra Genai Memorial Maternity and Child Welfare Hospital being constructed at Chhaprari Bazar, Siraha with the assistance of NRs.2,29,44,917/- from the Government of India under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme. The function was attended by representatives of DDC and local administration of Siraha, community leaders and a large number of people from the area. The project is being implemented by the District Development Committee, Siraha.
Owing to lack of adequate basic healthcare facilities, Siraha, like many underdeveloped districts in Nepal, suffers from a high infant mortality rate (of 11.8%) and mothers’ mortality rate (of 4.7%). The maternity and child welfare hospital at Chhaprari Bazar being constructed with the assistance of Government of India will provide the much needed maternity and child healthcare services to about 33,000 people of Chhaprari and adjoining VDCs. The 52-bed double-storied hospital building will include facilities such as maternity and paediatric wards, operation theatre including a paediatric operation theatre, laboratory, labour room, emergency ward etc.
This is one of the seven projects, including three educational ones, undertaken by Government of India in district Siraha. In addition, four ambulances have been gifted by Government of India to various organizations in that district.
During the foundation stone laying ceremony, Ambassador of India stressed the importance of healthcare infrastructure in improving the quality of life and overall development of the people of Nepal. He expressed the hope that the new maternity and child welfare hospital being constructed with the assistance of Government of India would be of significant help in meeting the maternal and child healthcare needs of the community and would assist the efforts of Government of Nepal towards reducing the infant mortality rate. He noted that the project fully reflected the relevance and success of India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme and was yet another concrete manifestation of the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries.
The new hospital is among the thirteen on-going small development projects in the health sector (in addition to three large hospital projects and other community health projects related to goitre control, cataract and trachoma surgery etc.) being carried out in different districts of Nepal with the assistance of Government of India. Overall, the project is part of more than 200 projects being realized under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme in the sectors of education, health, community development and infrastructure covering almost all the districts of Nepal with an outlay of over NRs.2000 crores.
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