Health Ministry has no details of funds distribution over 14 years
KATHMANDU, Feb 1: At a time when many government hospitals are in a pathetic condition, the Ministry of Health (MoH) doled out more than Rs 2 billion in three years to community hospitals and NGOs with political access.
There are 109 government hospitals with a total of 5,271 beds and 154 private hospitals with7,394 beds across the country. Of the government hospitals, 37 hospitals do not have the sanctioned number of beds and many more are without the necessary equipment.
The government, which started distributing grants to community hospitals 17 years ago, provided Rs 2.36 billion to community hospitals and NGOs under the influence of political parties and party leaders over the last three years, according to MoH sources. The distribution of funds in the previous 14 years has not been recorded in the files. Every year, approximately Rs 500 million is distributed to community hospitals and to various organizations and political cadres.
MoH distributed Rs 568 million to 59 hospitals and various organizations in fiscal year 2013/14, Rs 1.31 billion to 52 hospitals and NGOs in 2014/15 and Rs 479 million to 22 community hospitals and NGOs in 2015/16, according to documents obtained by Republica. Different ministries distribute more than Rs 20 billion annually to different organizations, individuals and political cadres, said the MoH sources.
During the tenure of then health minister Ram Janam Chaudhari, Rs 479 million was given to 22 community hospitals just one day ahead of the end of fiscal year 2015/16, and the receipients were required to submit their reports to the government within 90 days. However, no reports were submitted within the 90 days.
According to a working manual, the grants should be provided in installments as the work progresses. “While distributing the Rs 479 million, the manual was not followed,” said Bhavanath Khatiwada, under-secretary at MoH.
Former minister Chaudhari said that the funds used to be distributed haphazardly in the past. “We started work to bring in new regulations but the cabinet approved these only in the last hour. So we went ahead and distributed the funds as per the regulations even though only one day remained before the fiscal year ended,” he added. “If they had failed to submit their reports within the 90 days, the ministry should have monitored them and taken necessary action.”
Reports submitted by a few hospitals after 90 days show that the funds were used for religious activities, seminars and other activities although the working manual allows expenditure of the funds only on medical equipment and the construction of hospital buildings. Six of the hospitals are yet to submit their reports.
Most of the community hospitals, which were expected to deliver cheaper services as at government hospitals, have charged fees for different tests and surgeries just like at the expensive private hospitals.
“There is no difference between private and community hospitals in terms of service charges,” said the MoH officials. “This is not the spirit of community hospitals, which are meant to serve in rural areas where there are no government hospitals. But many of the community hospitals are located in urban areas, which are already served by government hospitals.”
The present government has not allocated any grants despite the dozens of grant applications that have piled up at the ministry. “Providing state funds to community hospitals without examining them thoroughly is questionable,” said Health Minister Gagan Thapa. “We found that the grants were misused, wrongly used and under-used at community hospitals,” he said.
“So we have prepared a draft amendment to the working manual, provisioning different markers such as not repeating grants to the same organizations every year, locating community hospitals in remote areas and away from government hospitals, not providing grants to Kathmandu Valley and the urban areas and ensuring cheaper services to people,” said Minister Thapa. “The working manual will be tabled at the cabinet meeting on Thursday. Only after it is approved will grants be distributed to hospitals this year.”
Names/Adress | Grants in Rs. | Names/Adress | Grants in Rs. | Names/Adress | Grants in Rs. |
Fiscal year 2015/16
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| Martyrs Memorial Academy | 10,000,000 | Helping hands Community Hospital | 5,000,000 |
Lekhnath Community Lions Hospital, Kaski | 18,212,000 | Community Health Service Council | 3,000,000 | Gandaki Gramin Community Hospital | 5,500,000 |
Namuna Community Hospital, Lamjung | 10,000,000 | Sanjivani Sewa Sangh, Bir Hospital | 1,000,000 | Martyrs Memorial Academy, Jhapa | 10,000,000 |
Sujung Hospital, Doti | 17,979,000 | Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust | 10,000,000 | Sanjivani Sewa Sangh, Bir Hospital | 2,000,000 |
Adhikhola Development and Environment Sanitation Group, Syangja | 9,339,000 | Namuna Community Hospital | 7,000,000 | Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust | 30,000,000 |
Galyang Community Health Center, Syangja | 17,278,000 | Koshi Purva Community Hospital | 4,000,000 | Namuna Community Hospital | 500,000 |
Reukai Yeiki Masunaga Eye Hospital, Kavre | 20,547,000 | Community Naturopathy Hospital | 10,000,000 | Community Naturopathy Hospital | 1,000,000 |
DCWC Community Hospital, Kavre | 17,979,000 | Kishori Prasad Nepal Community Health Center | 5,000,000 | Rajmarg Community Hospital | 1,000,000 |
Ap-pipal Hospital, Gorkha | 17,745,000 | Social Health Security Development Committee | 500,000,000 | Parijat Memorial Hospital, Mahottari | 5,000,000 |
Om Rara Health Foundation, Mugu
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| 15,644,000 | Rajmarg Community Hospital | 1,000,000 | GP Koirala National Respiratory Center | 30,000,000 |
Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital, Rupandehi | 38,240,000 | Manorog Upachar Tatha Punrsthapana Kendra | 1,000,000 | Nepal Hridayarog Niwaran Pratisthan, Lalitpur | 3,000,000 |
Community Naturopathy Hospital, Nawalparasi | 38,786,000 | Parijat Memorial Hospital, mahottari | 3,750,000 | Mastishka Pakshyaghat Swabalamban Samuha Nepal, Lalitpur | 3,000,000 |
Spinal Injury Rehab Center, Kavre | 20,000,000 | National Kidney Treatment center | 24,000,000 | Nepal Orthopedic Hospital | 1,000,000 |
Dhulikhel Hospital, Kavre | 45,340,000 | GP Koirala National Respiratory Center | 7,100,000 | Nepal Community Health and Development Center | 500,000 |
Chaurjahari Hospital, Rukum | 36,054,000 | Chandra Narayan Yadav Memorial Trust, Siraha | 4,000,000 | Martyrs Memorial Community Hospital | 1,000,000 |
Lamjung District Community Hospital, Lamjung | 32,777,000 | Khirsain Adhikari Samaj, Kavre | 500,000 | Nepal Apang Sewa Sangh, Bara | 1,000,000 |
Martyrs Memorial Community Hospital Development Committee, Nawalparasi | 18,212,000 | Shramjivi Mahila Tatha Balkalyan Parishad, Bhaktapur | 500,000 | Bayalpata Hospital | 3,000,000 |
Okhaldhunga Community Hospital | 33,800,000 | Nepal Hridayarog Nivaran Pratisthan, Lalitpur | 4,000,000 | JP Academy | 1,000,000 |
Sahodar Hospital, Lamjung | 14,800,000 | Mastishka Pakshyaghat Swabalamban Samuha Nepal, Lalitpur | 2,000,000 | Koshish | 450,000 |
Kapilvastu Community Hospital, Kapilvastu | 15,000,000 | Om Rara Health Foundation, Mugu | 1,000,000 | Human Development and Nature Environment Conservation Center | 1,000,000 |
Bayalpata Hospital, Achham | 21,714,000 | Children and Women Society, Banke | 500,000 | Chhatrapati Nishulka Chikitsalaya | 1,000,000 |
Birgunj Community Eye Hospital, Birgunj | 16,578,000 | Nepal Tuberculosis Prevention Organization | 250,000 | National Disabled Unity Center | 400,000 |
Janasewa Community Hospital, Khotang | 3,000,000 | Nepal Orthopedic Hospital | 3,000,000 | Helpless Cooperation Council | 300,000 |
FY 2014/15 |
| Mahila Jagaran Nepal, Kathmandu | 500,000 | Nepal Ayurved Chikitsak Sangh | 300,000 |
National Kidney Center, Balaju | 16,000,000 | Himalaya Eye Hospital, Pokhara | 1,000,000 | Ama Milan Kendra | 300,000 |
Apex Body for Eye Health | 2,500,000 | Nepal Community Health and development Center | 1,000,000 | Devghat Dharmath Hospital | 1,000,000 |
Nijamati karmachari Shreemati Sangh | 800,000 | Nepal Apang Sewa Sangh, Bara | 250,000 | Birgunj Community Eye Hospital | 2,000,000 |
Nepal Chikitsak Sangh | 20,000,000 | Galyang Community Health Center | 250,000 | Community Health Environment Center | 300,000 |
BP Eye Academy | 49,000,000 | Bayalpata Hospital | 35,127,500 | Kulananda Jha Memorial Academy | 500,000 |
Matri Shisu Miteri Hospital | 10,000,000 | Kaski Netrahin Sangh | 250,000 | Osho Tapoban | 1,000,000 |
Spinal Injury Rehab Center | 10,000,000 | FY 2013/14 |
| Gramin Bikas Mahila Janachetana Karyakram, Mahottari | 275,000 |
Janasarokar Trust | 40,000,000 | National Kidney Center, Balaju | 42,652,000 | Kapilvastu Community Hospital Development Committee | 1,000,000 |
Nepal Madhyabindu Community Memorial Hospital | 4,000,000 | Apex Body for Eye Health | 2,510,000 | Jana Swasthya Sarokar Trust | 60,000,000 |
Lekhnath Community Lions Hospital | 10,000,000 | Nijamati Karmachari Shreemati Sangh | 700,000 | Swasthyakarmi Tatha Swasthya Surakshya Kosh | 5,000,000 |
Adhikhola Development and Environment Sanitation Group, Syangja | 3,000,000 | BP Eye Academy | 40,000,000 | Nepal Magar Mahila Sangh, Kathmandu | 300,000 |
Disabled Child Hospital and Rehab Center | 500,000 | Matri Shisu Miteri Hospital | 1,000,000 | District Hospital, Jeleshwor | 1,500,000 |
Kirtipur Community Health Center | 1,300,000 | Spinal Injury Rehab Center | 10,000,000 | Pashupatinath Community Hospital | 1,000,000 |
Dhullikhel Hospital | 225,000,000 | Nepal Madhyabindu Community Memorial Hospital | 1,500,000 | Nepal Cancer Prevention Organization | 1,000,000 |
BP Memorial Community Cooperative Hospital Pvt Ltd | 3,000,000 | Lekhnath Community Lions Hospital | 1,400,000 | Prakritik Swasthya Sanstha | 2,000,000 |
Manamohan Memorial Community Hospital | 50,000,000 | Disabled Child Hospital and Rehab Center | 2,000,000 | Ama Milan Kendra | 200,000 |
Nepal Cancer Hospital, Nepalgunj | 60,000,000 | Dhulikhel Hospital | 80,000,000 | Muktinath Baba Hospital | 5,000,000 |
Nagarik Community Teaching Hospital, Bhaktapur | 10,000,000 | BP Memorial Community Cooperative Hospital Pvt Ltd | 5,000,000 | Purva Karmachari Sewa Parishad | 500,000 |
Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Memorial Hospital | 50,000,000 | Manamohan Memorial Community Hospital | 60,000,000 | Seti Ganga Community Hospital | 2,000,000 |
Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital | 50,000,000 | Nepal Cancer Hospital, Nepalgunj | 60,000,000 | International Society for Medical Education Pvt Ltd | 200,000 |
Helping Hands Community Hospital | 5,000,000 | Nagarik Community Teaching Hospital, Bhaktapur | 10,000,000 |
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Gandaki Gramin Community Hospital | 30,000,000 | Mahendranarayan Nidhi Memorial Hospital | 60,000,000 |
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