Many cancer patients who have been receiving treatment at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur have been affected due to the hospital’s poor service and management.

They have accused that getting a timely treatment at the hospital is impossible unless one has a political connection or closely knows senior hospital officials. Fifty-year-old Saraswoti Dhungana of Jhapa had to use her “connections” at the hospital to put her name in the radiotherapy list. Although the hospital had asked her to visit for radiotherapy in March, she was surprised to see that her name in a long waiting list.

“There is no chance of receiving timely treatment unless you know someone important,” said Dhungana.

Rajendra Karki, who brought his mother to the hospital for radiotherapy, claimed that the doctors at the hospital have been forcing the patients to visit their private clinics.

“I was told that the two radiotherapy machines were not working. The machines were fine until last Wednesday night, but the next morning they broke down at the same time,” Karki said. “The doctors themselves tell the patients that the hospital service is poor.” 

Executive Director of the hospital Dr Chin Bahadur Pun said the radiotherapy machines had indeed stopped working. He, however, denied the allegation of poor service and mismanagement. 

Meanwhile, the locals have formed a committee to end the hospital mismanagement. Baburam Adhikari of the committee said no patient should be deprived of timely treatment, but the people who come to BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital were being denied timely treatment by the doctors and the staff. 

 “The politics at the hospital should end,” Adhikari demanded.