The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is investing Rs90 million to upgrade services at three major public hospitals in Kathmandu.

Officials at the Health Department under the city office said that they have allocated Rs55 million to set up two modular operation theatres at the Kanti Children’s Hospital, Maharajgunj.

“We have been working to set up two modular operation theatres at the Kanti Children’s Hospital,” said Depak Kumar KC, chief of the department. “We will also set up a post-recovery ward at the hospital, where patients will be transferred from the surgery rooms.”

A modular OT is a prefabricated, fully equipped surgical unit that includes hermetically sealed walls, HEPA air filtration, integrated lighting and a medical gas system. Air or gas cannot escape from the hermetically sealed walls of the operating theatres. Likewise, HEPA air filtration theoretically captures 99.7 percent of dust and other airborne particles.

Officials say the existing operating theatres at Kanti Children’s Hospital, the national referral centre, are only of a conservative type and lack proper infection prevention measures. Doctors say the risk of infection after surgery is higher in traditional operation threatres. They say that the hospital’s existing post-recovery room is not in good condition.

Along with the assistance to the Kanti Children’s Hospital, the city office has also been working to upgrade the outpatient department(OPD) service of the adjoining Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. For that, the metropolis will spend Rs25 million. The grant will be used to implement digital patient management in the OPD service, leveraging technology to simplify administrative processes, enhance patient experiences, and improve overall efficiency in health care delivery.

“Digital patient management involves online ticketing, electronic health records, patient portals, and automated check-in systems, which reduce manual paperwork, enable digital billings and payments, and provide automated reminders and notifications, among others,” said Dr Bibas Neupane, an official at the health department. “As per the request of the hospital administration, we have decided to set up the system and have also finalised the tender.”

The city office has also agreed to allocate Rs16 million to strengthen the coronary care unit at the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Centre, which lies within the same compound as TU Teaching Hospital.

According to Neupane, the metropolis has also provided equipment to Bir Hospital, including ventilators, and grants to the Thapathali-based Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital.

“Improving the service quality of public hospitals within the metropolis’ jurisdiction is our priority, as hundreds of thousands of patients from across the country visit these hospitals for treatment,” said Neupane.

Apart from providing grants and equipment to hospitals inside the metropolis, the city office had earlier this year donated 35 ambulances to local units in remote districts of the country. The metropolis spent Rs2 million for each Mahindra Bolero SUV, which was later turned into B-category ambulance.

The metropolis has already begun free ultrasound services at urban health promotion centres in wards 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 26, and 30.

The health department has also started free cervical cancer screening at Bir Hospital.