A ‘psycho-social hospital’ is to be set up inside the premises of Nakhkhu Prison.

Since construction is in the final stage, the hospital will come into operation within some months. This would be a first hospital of its kind to be set up inside a prison in the country.

“Some 200 out of the 800 or so inmates are mental patients. Other prisons also transfer inmates who have mental problems to Nakhkhu Jail as the country’s main psychiatric hospital is also located in Lagankhel of Lalitpur,” said Jailor Tek Bahadur KC.

KC said they need to take inmates suffering from serious mental problems frequently to the psychiatric hospital. The prison is overcrowded with inmates having mental problems but it lacks facilities and personnel to treat them. KC hopes operation of the unit would greatly alleviate their problem.