An advanced 10-storey building will be constructed on the 19 ropani of land lying behind the hospital, officials at the hospital said. The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has allocated Rs 20 million to demolish the existing building used by nurses and as staff quarters, said Dr Buland Thapa, director of the hospital. [break]
"The hospital will be expanded to 2,000 beds. We must expand to accommodate the increasing number of patients," Dr Thapa said.
He said the construction plan for the new building has already been finalized and a geo-technical study done. "The consultancy firm we hired for the study has submitted its report," he added.
The nursing college and quarters for resident doctors and other staff will be housed in the same building, he said adding that the final design for the building has not yet been prepared.
According to Dr Thapa, the existing 430 beds are not sufficient to cope with the growing inflow of patients. Patients across the country visit the hospital hoping for quality service at reasonable cost. "Due to lack of sufficient beds, we are compelled to turn patients away," he added.
Compared to Bir, patients have to pay exorbitant prices at private medical centers. Dr Thapa concedes that patients who are poor cannot afford treatment at such centers, but the doctors had no choice. He, however, admits that health workers at Bir sometimes diverted patients away from the hospital for commissions.
Of the existing beds at the hospital, 329 are free beds for which patients do not have to pay any fee, and they also get two free meals a day.
Dr Thapa said patients will not have to wait months and years for surgery once the hospital capacity is expanded. Patients with serious ailments such as kidney and heart disease and neurological problems seek treatment at Bir, where fees are quite low compared to private hospitals.
Meanwhile, Dr Mukunda Panthi, registrar at the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) said, "The existing in-patient department at the hospital is highly vulnerable to earthquake damage and experts have been suggesting to us to look for alternatives."
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