KATHMANDU, Nov 24: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has recently approved a new procedure to implement the Public Health Service Act in order to provide 10 percent free beds for the poor in hospitals within the metropolis.
The Health Department of the KMC stated that the procedure was approved in mid-October, and the implementation process has been initiated. The government has been granting permission to open a new hospital only on the condition that they provide 10 percent of their services free of charge to the poor.
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Despite this precondition, none of the hospitals have fully implemented it. In response, the metropolitan city enacted a law in August and has now started implementing the provision. The procedure involves obtaining information on available beds and patients in each hospital through specialized software. This software will be managed by the metropolitan city's office, and hospitals must register detailed information in the system about the patients they serve.
Ram Prasad Poudel, head of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Health Division, explained that the software would include details such as patients’ treatment expenses, phone numbers, photos, and names, making it easier to track patients being treated in each hospital.
This procedure aims to ensure that the target group, particularly poor patients from any part of the country, receives proper treatment. Patients seeking this service can receive a free bed service from a private or government hospital in the wards and metropolitan areas of KMC by presenting a disability certificate from their permanent residence.
"The municipality's objective is to ensure that the target group receives treatment services, and this procedure has paved the way for that," stated Paudel. The Ministry of Health and Population emphasizes that private hospitals violating municipal and government rules will not have their licenses renewed. Additionally, the Act of the metropolitan city states that hospitals not adhering to the rules cannot operate within the municipality.”
