Kawa Mayor Writes to Prime Minister Demanding Return of Ownership for Dharan Hospital Land

March 9, Dharan – Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, home to approximately 200,000 residents, currently lacks a municipal hospital. Residents are compelled to visit BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences even for basic treatments. With around 4,000 patients daily, long queues for basic services are a common occurrence at this hospital.

The BP Institute serves as the primary point of care for the general public covered by health insurance. However, this service is only guaranteed for another three months. After that period, uncertainty looms regarding where insured individuals will obtain first-contact services.

Once those three months elapse, Dharan’s two hundred thousand citizens will need to visit other government hospitals to get first-contact referrals and pay fees set by BP Institute to receive treatment.

The lack of a government hospital within the municipality to provide initial referrals under health insurance has brought the old Dharan hospital’s land into dispute.

Controversy intensified when a proposal emerged to establish a municipal hospital on the site of the old Dharan hospital—a facility founded during the Rana regime but now dilapidated. Notably, the hospital land is currently registered under BP Koirala Institute.

After news circulated via social media and other channels about plans to merge Panchayat Basic School (Bhakari School) in ward 16 with Chandra Sanskrit Secondary School and run the Dharan municipal hospital there, discussions about the land ownership became widespread.

Representatives of political parties and local citizen leaders have been pressuring Dharan’s acting Mayor, Eindra Bikram Beghale, to reclaim the old hospital land for establishing the municipal hospital.

Most stakeholders in Dharan are demanding the land of the old hospital be returned to the municipality for construction of the municipal hospital on the same site. They have expressed doubts about the proposal to use the Bhakari school premises and are prepared to travel at their own expense to relevant ministries and launch protests to reclaim the old hospital land.

Responding to suggestions from civil society, acting Mayor Beghale stated, “I too support having the municipal hospital at the site of the old hospital. But we cannot ignore the fact that in 2017 (2074 BS), the land was registered under the BP Koirala Institute.”

History of the Old Dharan Hospital Land

During the Rana prime minister Juddha Shamsher’s era, in 1935 (1992 BS), social worker Subba Ratna Prasad Shrestha facilitated bringing doctors from Kolkata to Dharan to make healthcare accessible.

Shrestha is regarded as the developer of Dharan market. After doctors arrived, the decision was made to build Dharan hospital near Chhata Chowk on donated land. Initially, a small hospital began operations. Though there is no firm record of the exact land area donated, about one bigha and thirteen kattha is noted under Shrestha’s name.

In the 1950s, this hospital was declared a government hospital. Local expert Dr. Rajendra Sharma noted, “In 1973 (2030 BS), the land was officially surveyed and registered under Dharan Hospital.”

When BP Koirala Institute was established in Dharan in 1993 (2050 BS), municipal hospital services were also transferred to BP Institute. As it operated under the Ministry of Health, ownership of the hospital land was also transferred accordingly.

With efforts from the Rana government and the public, wealthy businessman Jagannath Dedraj’s family of Biratnagar donated NPR 211,000 on January 1, 1970 (Magh 18, 2026 BS) to construct Matrisewa Sadan (Maternity Ward).

The foundation stone was laid by then Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista and inaugurated on May 20, 1972 (Jestha 7, 2029 BS) by Queen Aishwarya in the presence of King Birendra. This building now lies in ruins.

The hospital was upgraded to the Eastern Regional Hospital and later with the establishment of BP Institute in 1993, services and machinery were moved to the BP Institute in Biratnagar.

The municipal officials, political parties, and citizens of Dharan gradually neglected the old hospital. The land was underutilized, some parts encroached upon with houses built, the maternity ward became dilapidated and overgrown, turning into a hub for drug abuse and other undesirable activities.

As a municipal hospital became necessary in Dharan, preparations were underway to operate it at the old hospital site near Chhata Chowk, only to discover the Ministry of Health transferred the land to BP Institute in 2017.

Currently, stakeholders are pressuring Mayor Beghale to restore ownership of the land to Dharan municipality for operating the municipal hospital.

Mayor Beghale requested BP Koirala Institute’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Bikram Shrestha, to return the land; however, the Vice Chancellor expressed inability to do so.

Notably, Vice Chancellor Shrestha is the grandson of Subba Ratna Prasad, who originally brought doctors from Kolkata to start modern health services in Dharan during the Rana era.

Mayor Beghale’s Letter to the Prime Minister

Under pressure from civil society, Dharan’s acting Mayor Beghale has written to Prime Minister Balendra Shah requesting the return of the old hospital land to establish the Dharan municipal hospital. The Prime Minister’s Secretariat has acknowledged receipt of the letter.

Following suggestions from civil society and intellectuals including Dr. Rajendra Sharma, who advised that ministry or cabinet approval is necessary for reconstruction on the old hospital land, Mayor Beghale addressed his letter to the Prime Minister.

The letter requests arrangements to return the old Dharan hospital land currently registered under BP Koirala Institute to Dharan municipality. Mayor Beghale explained, “The letter was sent with the aim that no one be deprived of health services by securing the old hospital land.”

According to the cabinet decision dated August 27, 2018 (Shrawan 11, 2075 BS), the land was officially transferred under BP Koirala Institute’s name, which causes legal complications; therefore, assistance from the Prime Minister is sought to resolve the issue.

Mayor Beghale added, “A deleg ation from Dharan is preparing to travel to Kathmandu regarding this matter. Since the decision to return the land can only be made by the cabinet, the letter was written to the Prime Minister.”