Health Minister announces free stroke treatment initiative

KATHMANDU: Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Pradip Paudel has announced that the government is preparing to provide free treatment for stroke patients.

Speaking at the 63rd-anniversary celebration of Kanti Children’s Hospital today, he shared that the Ministry is working on an action plan to implement the initiative.

Minister Paudel also highlighted that free cancer treatment for children has already been arranged at Kanti Children’s Hospital.

Acknowledging the hospital’s challenges, including a lack of infrastructure and manpower, he assured the Ministry’s commitment to extending support. “Despite limited resources, the hospital has been providing quality services, earning the trust of many,” he stated.

On the occasion, Dr. R.P. Bichha, a member of the National Planning Commission, emphasized the need to develop Kanti Children’s Hospital into a center for pediatric health studies. “Even though the number of beds has increased, the patient load remains high,” he said. “To address this, we need to build pediatric hospitals with 100 to 300 beds in each province.”

Shri Ram Subedi, Chairperson of the Hospital Development Committee, described the hospital as a national asset in the medical field. He mentioned, “The hospital has diversified and specialized its treatment services. Currently, 28% of the patients treated are children under the age of 14, which is a significant contribution.”

Subedi also pointed out the disparity between patient numbers and available infrastructure and manpower. The hospital marked the anniversary by installing an air quality monitoring device, he added.

Director Dr. Pankaj Roy underlined the need to improve infrastructure and staffing at the hospital. “There are still waiting lists for surgeries, and we need to expand the intensive care unit,” he noted. He revealed that a detailed project report (DPR) under the hospital’s master plan has already been initiated, with efforts underway to secure additional resources through the Ministry of Health and Population and the Qatari Embassy.

Kanti Children’s Hospital, established on Poush 22, 2019 BS, is the only central government-run referral pediatric hospital in Nepal.

Initially operating with 50 beds, the hospital now has 372 beds and served 180,000 children during the fiscal year 2080/81, as shared during the event.