LAHAN: Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri has inaugurated Chandranarayan Yadav Memorial Maternity Hospital constructed with the Indian government’s assistance of Rs 2.69 billion.

The 25-bed maternity hospital operated its service from Wednesday. According to the Chandranarayan Yadav Memorial Trust, the hospital has started its service delivery with the principle based on quality motherhood and child health.

The maternity hospital is equipped with medical instruments such as blood bank, emergency, ultrasound, x-ray, minor OT, ICU, CCU, and major operation theater, among other facilities.

KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav on Monday urged government doctors to go to the assigned working stations.

He called on the agitating government doctors, who have been protesting the government employees’ adjustment process.

Minister Yadav urged them to go to the deputed areas and provide services, and the government would address their concerns.

Talking to journalists in Kathmandu today, he said that the government was committed to ensuring people’s rights to quality health services.

It should be noted that doctors affiliated with the Government Doctors Association of Nepal (GODAN) have stopped their services in the government hospitals, except the emergency for the past three days alleging the government of being against the agreement reached between the government and the GODAN.

CHITWAN: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, Upendra Yadav on Sunday said government and private hospitals should collaborate with each other.

Inaugurating the ‘Test Tube Baby Centre’ established by Chitwan Medical College here, Minister Yadav said both private and government hospitals should provide quality health service.

He maintained that the health policy to be introduced by the government has made efforts to take government and private hospitals together.

He also stated that the government has been endeavoring to provide free basic health service to the people.

KATHMANDU: National Trauma Centre has appointed Dr Pramod Yadav as its Executive Director.

The Centre is operated under the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Upendra Yadav appointed the 10th level senior general surgeon Dr Yadav to the post through a ministerial decision, the DPM’s secretariat has stated.

Likewise, Prof DN Saha was appointed to the post of Dean of NAMS on March 14.

KATHMANDU: The World Kidney Day has been marked by organizing kidney-related awareness programs across the country on Thursday. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli attended a program to mark the Day at the TU Teaching Hospital (TUTH) this morning.

Speaking at the program the Prime Minister urged people to maintain proper food habits, do regular physical exercises for the safety of kidneys. The PM also participated in a walkathon along with the hosts as part of the program.

The program was organized by the TUTH’s Department of Nephrology, Physician for Social Responsibility Nepal and Free Students’ Union. Talking to Khabarhub, Dr. Pukar Chandra Shrestha, executive director and kidney transplant specialist at Shahid Dharma Bhakta National Transplant Center, Bhaktapur, said a total of 3 million Nepali people are suffering from kidney ailments in Nepal. Of the total 3 million kidney patients, the 3,000 patients’ kidneys fail annually, Shrestha added.

The number of kidney patients receiving government treatment allowance has been increasing. The data maintained by the Nursing and Social Security Division (NSSD) shows that, in the Fiscal Year 2018/19, the number of patients taking government subsidy on kidney disease has doubled. A total of 4,661 kidney patients took government subsidy for the medicine, according to the division.

According to the statistics maintained by the Division, in the 2017-18 Fiscal Year, 2, 625 kidney patients received government allowance, of which 2,197 took the subsidy for hemodialysis, 88 took allowance for peritoneal dialysis service. Similarly, the 142 people took the service for transplantation service while 198 people took government subsidy for medicine.

In the Fiscal Year 2016/17, 4,300 people had received the government treatment subsidy, of which 1,939 patients took government allowance for haemodialysis, 85 took allowance for peritoneal dialysis while 157 received allowance for transplant services. Similarly, 222 people took subsidy for medicine, according to the data maintained by the NSSD.

Of them, 4,110 kidney patients took subsidy for haemodialysis, 188 took subsidy for peritoneal dialysis while 249 took subsidy for kidney transplantation while 114 took subsidy for medicine.

According to the record of the Division, a total of 8, 246 kidney patients have undergone haemodialysis while 361 peritoneal dialysis. Similarly, 548 patients underwent kidney transplantation service while 534 took government subsidy for medicine.

Given the data above, the number of kidney patients is growing every year. According to Dr. Shrestha, the kidneys fail due to unhealthy lifestyle and when the people do not undergo kidney-checking. High blood pressure and diabetes are the major causes of kidney failure, Shrestha told Khabarhub. Shrestha advise people to visit the hospital for kidney check-up once a year.

Govt. provides subsidy for kidney patients

The government has defined kidney disease as acute ailment and been providing subsidy to the patients for dialysis, transplantation and medicine. The government has been providing Rs. 400,000 to those kidney patients willing to undergo kidney transplantation in Nepal while those undergoing dialysis will get Rs. 100,000, among others.

Similarly, the government provides Rs. 50,000 each to kidney donors and receivers for their lab test, Rs. 2,500 for haemodialysis per session and 90 packets for peritoneal dialysis.

KATHMANDU: Doctors at the National Trauma Center in Kathmandu have been found to be working in connivance with medical suppliers in extorting high fees from orthopedics patients.

The center premise does not have pharmacies that sell orthopedic supplies. Private orthopedic suppliers have unchecked entry inside the center who brokers a deal with the needy patients into buying their supplies at a high rate. Doctors facilitate these suppliers by providing the details of the patients and who in turn are rewarded with sales commissions.

The center prepares the list of all patients receiving treatment at the center on a daily basis. Doctors pass the list to the representatives of orthopedic supplier companies, according to a staff at the center.

The government claims it provides treatment free of cost. However, the patients and their relatives are forced to negotiate with representatives of private medical suppliers as part of their treatment in buying orthopedic implants. Doctors as well as its staff at the center participate in the racket.

Gopal Ramtel from Dhading district, who got admitted at the center for leg injuries, complained that he had to negotiate with a representative of an orthopedic company for an iron rod to be implanted in his leg.

“The representative had demanded Rs. 30,000 for the rod. When I said that I did not have that much money he offered the rod at Rs. 25,000,” he said.

Neither the trauma victims nor their relatives have any idea of the exact price of the implants to be bought. They are forced to settle the deal decided by the representatives of orthodox suppliers.

On receiving the call, the representatives visit the center, meet the concerned patients and negotiate on the product, as informed by the doctor.

The center prepares the list of all patients receiving treatment at the center on a daily basis. Doctors pass the list to the representatives of orthopedic supplier companies, according to a staff at the center.

“At the order of senior doctors in every department, resident doctors at the center phone the representatives of orthopedics implant suppliers and avail them with the details of the patients,” said a doctor at the center.

On receiving the call, the representatives visit the center, meet the concerned patients and negotiate on the product, as informed by the doctor.

“As soon as a patient is admitted to the center, doctors present us with the list of materials required. We pay a certain amount to the doctors for the service,” said a representative Khabarhub met inside the center.

Dr. Binod Sherchan, acting director at the center admits that the representatives of orthopedic supplying companies have free access to the center. “Pharmacies in the center premise do not sell orthopedic implant materials. So, the representatives of private companies are allowed inside the center,” he clarified.

KATHMANDU: Influenza has claimed the lives of eight Kathmanduites in the last 45 days and health officials say the infection in on the rise.

Data collected by Khabarhub on Wednesday has revealed that as many as eight confirmed patients of seasonal flu have been reported.

Director General at the Directorate at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Dr. Bibek Kumar Lal, informed that influenza has claimed the lives of eight people in the last one and a half months.

Doctor Sher Bahadur Pun at the Teku-based Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu informed that a considerable number of patients, mostly fearing of swine flu, visit the hospital every day.

According to him, the flu is a contagious respiratory illness spread mainly by influenza viruses that infect the throat, nose, throat, and sometimes even the lungs.

Flu is different from a cold. People who have flu feel some or all of the symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and even diarrhea or vomiting.

“The initial impression that the patients visiting him suspect of being infected with swine flu,” Dr. Pun told Khabarhub, which he said, is not true. According to him, the influenza season typically runs from October to May, peaking in February.

Hospital sources said as many as 1,334 flu suspects visited the hospital in the last five consecutive weeks. Among them, 567 have been diagnosed with AH1 N1. Likewise, 23 have been diagnosed with flu H3 and 73 with influenza B.

Doctors said a significant number of patients visit the hospital each day for the treatment of such flu-like cases. According to Dr. Pun, most of the patients complain of symptoms of dry cough, high fever, weakness, sore throat, headache, runny nose, fatigue, diarrhea, which are mostly associated with the swine flu virus.

Doctors suggest that people having such symptoms should drink plenty of clean water and liquids.

Flu Symptoms

Flu is different from a cold. People who have flu feel some or all of the symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and even diarrhea or vomiting.

How Flu Spreads

Doctors say flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu sneeze, cough, or talk.

Preventive measures

Doctors suggest that people should follow preventive measures to avoid flu. Isolation from an infected person is required.

LALITPUR: Mental Hospital in Lalitpur is struggling to render services to its growing number of patients due to severe manpower crunch. Whereas the hospital is supposed to have total eight specialists as per the government regulation, only five specialists are providing the service.

“A specialist needs to attend 50 out going patients daily,” said Ananta Adhikari, the chief consultant psychiatrist at the hospital. The Out Going Patient (OPD) section of the hospital receives 150 to 200 patients daily.