With the increasing number of scrub typhus, dengue, and seasonal illness cases, the Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, the largest hospital in the Rapti region is facing a shortage of hospital beds for patients. The Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, which has a total capacity of 350 beds, includes 37 beds in its emergency ward. However, as the number of patients has been increasing by around 100 daily on average, the hospital has been forced to refer some patients elsewhere, according to Information Officer Nishandaju Bhattarai. The hospital reported that in just the past five days, 444 new patients have been admitted, creating difficulties in treatment. Among them, 172 patients have been hospitalized for in-patient care, and as of October 6, the total number of admitted patients had exceeded 200, Bhattarai added.
The hospital which previously had 34 emergency beds, added three more just before Dashain. However, due to the growing influx of patients, some had to be treated on the floor, according to Dr. Pradip Pudasaini of the emergency ward. Dr. Pudasaini said that the hospital treated some patients on the floor, but it became difficult. There are no more beds available, and there’s no space to add new ones, so we’ve started referring patients elsewhere. He added that currently, five to seven critical patients are being referred daily to Nepalgunj and Butwal.
The Rapti Academy of Health Sciences is currently operating from three buildings, one dedicated to academic programs and two for patient care services. The academy offers BN, MBBS, and MD courses. According to the institution, the lack of adequate infrastructure has made it difficult to expand the number of beds. Due to space constraints, patients are often compelled to seek treatment at nearby hospitals, complained Jiwan Chaudhary, a relative of one of the patients.
Jayanarayan Pun