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Kathmandu hospitals face bed shortage, patients die waiting for care
🇳🇵 Nepal /Health & Science

Kathmandu hospitals face bed shortage, patients die waiting for care

From OnlineKhabar English · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Major public hospitals in Kathmandu are facing a severe shortage of beds, leading to critically ill patients waiting for hours or days in emergency rooms.
  • A 45-year-old man died in an ambulance outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital after his family was told no beds were available.
  • Bir Hospital's emergency department sees over 100 new patients daily, with some sharing beds due to the lack of available space.

Emergency wards at Kathmandu's major public hospitals are struggling to cope with a growing number of patients, resulting in a critical shortage of beds. Critically ill individuals are being forced to wait for hours, and sometimes days, in emergency rooms because wards and intensive care units are full.

Had they taken him inside and treated him, I could still call him my father.

— Dol Bahadur Thapa's daughterThe daughter of a patient who died in an ambulance outside a Kathmandu hospital described the tragic circumstances.

At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, a 45-year-old man named Dol Bahadur Thapa died in an ambulance on August 14. His family had brought him from Kathmandu Medical College after he suffered a stroke, hoping for better treatment at the larger facility. Upon arrival, they were informed that no beds were available and they would have to wait. Despite pleas from the family, staff reportedly told them not to cause a disturbance. Thapa died in the ambulance approximately 15 to 20 minutes later.

He was still breathing. If they had taken him inside, perhaps he could have survived.

— Dol Bahadur Thapa's daughterThe daughter of a patient who died in an ambulance outside a Kathmandu hospital expressed her belief that her father could have been saved.

His daughter tearfully recounted the incident, stating that her father might have survived if he had received immediate treatment. The situation at Bir Hospital, one of Nepal's oldest and busiest public hospitals, mirrors this crisis. On August 17, its emergency department was overcrowded, with some patients sharing beds, and in some cases, up to three patients to a single bed.

I have been waiting for a bed for two days. Two patients have to share one bed. My abdomen is swollen, so it is difficult even to sit.

— Bal Bahadur GurungA patient at Bir Hospital described the difficult conditions due to the bed shortage.

Dr. Suresh Nepal, chief of Bir Hospital's emergency department, noted that over 100 new patients arrive daily, most requiring admission. The lack of beds forces many to remain in the emergency department, even when they need admission to a regular ward. This ongoing bed shortage highlights a systemic issue in Nepal's public healthcare system, impacting timely and effective patient care.

I don’t know when I will get a bed.

— Bal Bahadur GurungA patient at Bir Hospital expressed uncertainty about when he would receive a bed.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by OnlineKhabar English in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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