On the occasion of World Kidney Day 2026, Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital in Butwal has reported a significant increase in the number of kidney disease patients in the province.
Former Health Minister of Lumbini Province Bishnu Panthi stated that neglecting kidney disease has created additional challenges for the health sector. He mentioned that the state should take further initiatives to ensure early disease detection and expand access to treatment.
“Kidney disease is often detected only in its final stage. Therefore, increasing public awareness and prioritizing regular health check-ups is extremely important,” Panthi said.
According to statistics presented at the Lumbini Province program, currently around 1,360 patients across the province are receiving regular dialysis services. Among them, about 550 patients are undergoing dialysis at Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital, said the hospital’s Chief Administrative Officer Kamal Bhandari.
According to kidney specialist Dr. Rajat Kayastha, the number of kidney patients has been increasing in recent years due to diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, and lifestyle factors. He said, “Kidney disease often shows no symptoms for a long time.
Many patients come to the hospital only after reaching the final stage, which makes treatment more complicated.”
However, a complete and integrated database of kidney patients across Lumbini Province is still unavailable.
According to the Lumbini Health Directorate, there are approximately 1,883 patients in the province based on rough estimates, while 1,360 patients are currently receiving treatment services.
Although the Directorate has stated that there is a plan to coordinate with all hospitals to prepare an integrated database, Nod Narayan Chaudhary, spokesperson of the Provincial Ministry of Health, acknowledged that complete data is still not available.
Director of Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital and kidney specialist Dr. Sameer Gautam stated that the hospital has been continuing to provide kidney treatment services despite facing various obstacles and challenges.