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🇳🇵 Nepal /Health & Science

Public hospitals defy Sunday service order amid patient woes

From Kathmandu Post · (5m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Public hospitals in Nepal are defying a Health Ministry order to provide outpatient services on Sundays, forcing patients to wait for days or seek expensive private care.
  • The government's decision to close offices for two days a week to address the fuel crisis has led to significant patient backlogs and financial strain, particularly for those from remote areas.
  • Doctors and health workers at major government hospitals continue to observe a two-day weekend, prioritizing Fridays for full-day service but offering no Sunday outpatient care.

The Kathmandu Post reports on a critical failure in Nepal's public healthcare system, where a directive to provide Sunday outpatient services has been widely ignored by major hospitals. This decision, intended to alleviate patient backlogs exacerbated by the government's two-day weekend policy to conserve fuel amidst the West Asian conflict, has left countless patients stranded. Many, like Sanimaiya Ghalan from Hetauda, are forced to endure extended stays in Kathmandu, incurring hotel costs and facing the agonizing choice between further delays in public facilities or the prohibitive expense of private healthcare.

We heard that the health ministry has directed hospitals to examine patients on Sunday as well, but we did not find that after visiting the hospital.

— PrateekGhalan's son, describing their experience trying to see a doctor at Bir Hospital on a Sunday.

This situation highlights a stark disconnect between government directives and on-the-ground implementation. While the Ministry of Health and Population issued a clear order for hospitals to remain open on Sundays, prominent institutions such as Bir Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital have openly defied it. Directors admit to not providing outpatient care on Sundays, with doctors and health workers only serving full days on Fridays. This defiance directly impacts thousands of patients who travel to the capital seeking specialized treatment, often facing waits of several days or even months for appointments and surgeries.

We haven’t run out-patient care on Sunday. Our doctors and health workers serve full day on Friday but don’t provide outpatient care on Sunday.

— Dr Dilip SharmaDirector at Bir Hospital, confirming the hospital's non-compliance with the ministry's directive.

The article underscores the disproportionate burden placed on vulnerable populations. Patients from remote areas, often with limited financial resources, are particularly hard-hit. The need to wait for extended periods in hotels or with relatives, coupled with the potential for private consultations to bypass hospital queues, creates a system where access to care is increasingly dictated by economic status. This is a deeply concerning trend in a nation striving to improve public health services for all its citizens. The government's attempt to address the fuel crisis through reduced office hours has inadvertently created a healthcare access crisis, demonstrating a lack of foresight in policy implementation.

I was told to wait for another three days to show the test report to the doctor, who recommended testing for me.

— Bikas NakarmiA patient at TU Teaching Hospital, explaining the difficulties in getting follow-up care.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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