Province No 5 Chief Umakanta Jha on Thursday visited the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.
Jha was at the hospital to inquire into the health condition of Jagat Bahadur Karki, the father of his Secretariat's employee, Bhabindra Karki.
Hospital's Board Chairman, Lokendra Kumar Shrestha, welcomed the provincial head and took him on a tour of the hospital.
Shrestha took the occasion to remind the visitor that Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital remained the best model of private – public partnership and added that the number of cancer patients visiting the hospital was increasing by the day.
Shrestha added that 30 – 40 patients have to return without treatment on a daily basis due to shortage of beds for admission.
During the visit, Jha inquired if the hospital could treat the cancer patients for free. Shrestha, who is also President of the Nepal Cancer Relief Society (NCRS), said the hospital can treat the patients cost – free on condition of financial support from the government.
Provided that the government offers just 10 per cent of the budget it has been allocating to the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur, Shrestha argued that Bhaktpur Cancer Hospital can treat all the cancer patients for free.
Shrestha also drew the attention of the provincial head that the government must not provide donation given to poor cancer patients to the private hospitals that do not have separate cancer departments.
"If such donation meant for the poor is handed out haphazardly, hospitals will open in the alleys of Kathmandu," Shrestha warned and added, "It will increase the trend of patients arriving at our hospital in the last stages of the disease after spending all the money in the private hospitals."
