Though the patient was still alive and the hospital had not declared him dead, his relatives were looking to an immediate death to avoid further suffering. According to the relatives, the youth´s family had disposed of all their property to pay the ICU charges. He was in ICU for a week. [break]
This is just a representative case. The government hospitals have very few beds in their ICUs and these are always fully occupied. But the private hospitals charge exorbitant amounts for the same service. One has to pay three times more than at the government facilities.
Patients are kept in private hospitals until their familes use up all their money and property. Those who cannot pay the costly charges can only await death.
Government hospitals speak of their helplessness when it comes to expanding their ICU services. Bir Hospital has 20 beds in its ICU but is operating only five of them. The hospital administration says that it does not have the manpower and ventilators to operate the ICU at full capacity. The hospital had installed 20 ICU beds five years ago.
“Dozens of people come with recommendations for ICU care, but I cannot do anything except express my sympathy,” Director of the hospital Dr Buland Thapa said. The hospital is providing ICU beds at Rs 3,000 per day but private hospitals charge from Rs 6,000 to 10,000.
Bir Hospital recently brought five ICU beds into operation. A month earlier, only one bed was in use. Most of the ventilators at the hospital are defunct. Dr Thapa said he has bought three ventilators from the Logistics Management Department (LMD) under the Ministry of Health, and this made the operation of five beds possible
Doctors and health workers at the emergency ward at Bir are referring patients who need ICU care to private hospitals.
They get a commission for this from the private hospitals and nursing homes.
Director Thapa concedes the malpractice at the hospital.
“I have noticed that staff have sent patients to private hospitals although a bed at our hospital is vacant,” he said adding, “The only solution to the problem is to operate more beds, and that is not within my capacity.”
He said that the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) has to take the initiative to recruit more manpower and buy needed equipment.
Similarly, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has only six beds in its ICU.
The hospital says that patients in critical condition occupy the beds for prolonged periods. “We cannot provide beds to the new patients. If patients already in ICU are removed from there they simply die,” hospital Director Dr Keshav Prasad Singh said. The hospital charges only Rs 2,000 per bed per night. Patients have to pay an additional Rs 1,000 if they use the ventilator.
Director Singh said that the hospital has maintained a register of phone numbers of patients seeking beds at the hospital. “We call the patients if anyone is discharged,” he added. He said dozens of people come to him with recommendations for beds.
Likewise, Patan Hospital has only 10 beds in its ICU and these are always occupied.
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