The health regulations forbid commercialization of health sector but these hospitals are promoting themselves through the local media. "There is a competition in outdoing each other on discounts," said a local right activist and journalist, Chiranjibi Maskey.
There are two private hospitals and two community hospitals apart from a government hospital in Dolakha. Interestingly, Dolakha Community Hospital and Dirghayu Community Hospital of Charikot are beating others in promotion. Dirghayu has offered discounts of 5-50 per cent while Dolakha has offered 5-20 per cent discounts on all their services.
Rights activists in the district are protesting the advertisements, saying they will have adverse effects on the public. "A hospital is not a luxury item that has to be promoted. People go there with compulsion and these sorts of advertisements confuse them," fumed Joint Coordinator of Civil Society, Dolakha, Krishna Basnet calling on the state to stop this.
Basnet complained that the district public health office has done nothing to stop this despite several requests. "We have stopped advertising after knowing that it is against health regulations," said Managing Director of Tso Rolpa General Hospital Kumar Karki. "We feel that this (advertising) can have an adverse effect on a sensitive sector like health," Karki added.
But other hospital owners argue that they were not advertising their hospitals rather informing the public. "Shouldn´t we be allowed to inform the people about our facilities and services? How will people know about these facilities if we do not inform them?" questioned director of Dolakha Community Hospital Mohan Karki. President of Dirghayu Shyam Oli also concurred and assured that he will stop the advertisement if other hospitals did so.
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