Nepal, Aug. 16 -- Khim Bahadur Oli of Musikot reached Rukum West District Hospital around 9am on Wednesday to have his sick child treated. He saw a doctor nearly four hours later.

After the consultation, he was sent to the laboratory for blood and urine tests and told to return around 4pm for the results. He spent another three hours at the hospital before collecting the reports and joining the queue to see a doctor again. His turn came at 5pm.

Oli's experience is common at district hospitals across Karnali Province, where chronic vacancies, particularly among specialists, have left a small number of doctors handling heavy patient loads. Some hospitals rely almost entirely on medical officers, while others have gone years without fillin...