April 10: “My 86-year-old father had paralysis. The situation was pitiful for my family. We were anxious and, at the same time, looking for health support as soon as possible. We went to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKHIS) but were stunned to see the delay in response to the person (his father) who was critically ill. Irrespective of the situation, we were told to get the PCR done on my father. I stood helpless. Neither could I fight back to get quicker medical help nor stand up against the management of the hospital. Trust me, it was really heart-breaking, “shared a youth at the solidarity sit-in protest held at Dharan against incompetence and corruption at BPKHIS.
The solidarity protest is being organised by the Hami Nepal Youth Organisation. The organization has been staging demonstrations in Dharan (since the past week) and Maitighar, Kathmandu (since April 8), calling for an end to corruption and the endorsement of proper management. The organization had decided to continue the protests until all issues at the hospital were resolved.
The youth, further adding his experience at the BPKHIS, which is one of the major health centre in eastern Nepal, said, “Again, after 4 months, sadly, my father had a heart attack, ‘’We took him to BPKHIS, but there was no bed for him. We did whatever we could, but we didn’t get a bed. Imagine you have a heart attack and you are critically injured but you don’t even get a bed at the hospital. It’s a complete nightmare. And not just a bed, we didn’t even get a doctor nor proper treatment advice. ”
The youth is one among hundreds of such individuals who have had negative experiences with BPKHIS. At the protest programme, several such individuals shared their experience and voiced in unison, “we need BPKHIS free of politics, corrupt management, and a system which would focus on the smooth running of the hospital benefitting all the individuals without being biased and careless.”
Describing the condition and how patients are suffering at BPKHIS, Sudan Gurung shared with Aawaaj News saying, “BPKIS is going through corruption and politicization from the administration level to the upper level, leading to poor management and services for the patients at the hospital.” He further elaborated, “The plight of the patients and the hospital itself has touched its apex, which is summarized by the dreadful situation of the hospital management, vulnerabilities of administration, lack of equipment, scarcity of beds, medicines, and essential medical supplies,”
Pointing out that the hospital is on the verge of collapse, leading to thousands of individuals from eastern Nepal without medical support, Gurung said, “We have been staying at the hospital for weeks. And the situation at the hospital is heart-breaking, with patients suffering not just from the medical conditions they have but from the lengthy and unorganised admission process at the hospital. The problem does not just end here; the service and delays in service are shocking. Families are queuing up at the counters while patients are on the floor in pain. ”
Gurung further described, “Just to get a video x-ray, which is regarded as a key element in diagnosing health issues, patients are forced to wait 3 months. Seriously, it’s 3 months. It is hard to imagine. ” And Gurung claims come with evidence, of which videos are posted all over its Instagram handle named “haminepal_”.
According to Gurung, from patients being treated on the floor of the emergency unit, the situation where people are forced to wait for months to get operation service, low quality medical equipment, and a lack of ICU beds, are the major problems at the BPKHIS.
It’s not just Hami Nepal that points out the poor management and services for the patients at the hospital; it’s the finding and recommendation report prepared by the probe committee formed under the direction Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, on June 17,2021 reports the same problems and anomalies at the hospital.
Headed by Baikuntha Aryal, Secretary, Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the 15-member probe committee presented their finding and recommendation report on August 2, 2021, which “clearly mentioned the ongoing anomalies and malfunction at the hospital, leading to suffering patients visiting the hospital,” shared Gurung.
Though the report has recommended actions to improve the condition at BPKHIS, till date, there is no work being done on the same. We don’t know what has even happened to the report.”
And now, through their protest, Hami Nepal is demanding that the report’s findings and recommendations be implemented as soon as possible, along with several other demands such as: cross-examining the procured medical equipment; increasing the capacity of emergency services with quick response; establishing a proper pharmacy at the hospital; and setting up MRI and other vital equipment, among many others.
The organization is currently on the ninth day of their peaceful protest under the “Save Ghopa Camp” campaign in Dharan and Kathmandu. The organization has demanded that the BPKIHS anomalies be resolved as soon as possible.
Not just BPKHIS, almost all the government hospitals are in bad condition. Kanti Children’s Hospital is in dire need of finance. Bir Hospital, the oldest hospital in the country, is also in bad shape. Meanwhile, some hospitals do not have access to MRI service while their CT-scan machine is out of order. Similarly, health posts and clinics across the nation lack doctors and health professionals. And hospital employees spend more time taking part in union meetings and other political events than attending to patients and their hospital duties.
Even Dr Swyam Prakash Pandit, former director of Bir Hospital, admitting such aforementioned situation, said, “As a government-run institution, the hospital suffers from the same problems that plague many other state-run bodies: politicisation and mismanagement.” Further, he added, “To bring changes, we need those people in power who actually care for people. Besides this, I may have technological ways to cope with situations, but though they are implemented, they will run out in certain period of time due to a lack of bodies willing to do some work to benefit citizens.’’
And Gurung calls this protest and their action at BPKHIS a first step towards changing the improving conditions of all such hospitals, which have been mismanaged, leading to general public suffering. We are on the verge of bringing about change at all the hospitals of Nepal, especially government hospitals. We know there are a series of problems in the nation, but we believe it’s the health that impacts the lives of people the most. Thus, we are focused on bringing about change in this sector so the general public will not suffer as they have been suffering. “