With the start of the rainy season, Sindhuli Hospital has been facing increase in patients suffering from seasonal flu and other infectious diseases. The hospital reports that due to contaminated water, poor diet, and seasonal infections, up to 500 patients affected by fever, typhoid, diarrhea, and asthma visit daily. According to the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Abhishek Thapliya, this increase is largely due to seasonal flu and rainy-season-related infections. He added that 40-50 patients visit the emergency department each day for treatment.
The growing patient numbers have created challenges in healthcare access. Although the hospital, which had a capacity of 50 beds, has now been expanded to 100 beds, the daily patient load still exceeds the number of available specialist doctors. Another challenge to ensuring the right to health is a shortage of medicines. The National Health Insurance Board has not released approximately Rs 70,000,000 to the hospital for a long time. As a result, most medicines at the hospital pharmacy have run out, and patients covered under health insurance are now forced to purchase medicines from private pharmacies.
According to Satishchandra Dhakal, Chairperson of the Hospital Development Committee, the delay in insurance payments has not only caused a shortage of medicines but has also halted incentive payments to doctors. The hospital management stated that this prolonged delay has seriously affected healthcare service delivery, medicine supply, and doctor management. Chairperson Dhakal warned that if these problems persist, even the daily provision of services could face a crisis.