Chaos at Bir Hospital after office-bearers removed

Bir Hospital, Nepal's largest public hospital, is in a state of severe disarray, impacting patient care and essential medical services. A recent incident highlighted the dire situation when a patient died in the emergency department after a required PT/INR blood test could not be performed due to a lack of reagents.

“

After death, a kind of chaos engulfed the hospital. It took two days for the relatives of patients to convince them to take the body.

The hospital's CT-scan service has been down for weeks, forcing patients to seek expensive private alternatives. Similarly, the pharmacy lacks basic medicines, envelopes, and plastic bags. Dental prosthetic services are also halted, and nurses are requesting patients' families to supply essential items like gloves and face masks.

Experts note that the absence of PT/INR results can critically delay treatment decisions, as doctors cannot accurately assess blood-thinning medication levels. This increases the risk of bleeding or complicates treatment planning. The halt in CT scans alone has redirected approximately 90 daily patients to private facilities, where costs are significantly higher.

“

I don’t know much about the agreement they reached, but relatives were demanding a job for a family member at the hospital and compensation.

Compounding these issues, both hospital elevators are out of service, and several ICU beds are unusable, forcing critically ill patients to seek costlier private care. Furthermore, contract employees and hundreds of resident doctors have gone unpaid for two months, leading to protests. The situation is exacerbated by a surge in patient numbers, partly due to the suspension of health insurance services at other major hospitals, placing an even greater strain on Bir Hospital's already crippled resources.

“

We are trying to reduce the problems and ease the suffering of patients.