A cancer patient has lodged a complaint about alleged embezzlement of treatment support at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Chitwan.

Nim Narayan Shrestha, a resident of Ghyalchowk-9 in Gorkha who is under care of liver cancer, filed the complaint at the District Administration Office on Wednesday, saying that the hospital staff forged and embezzled Rs50,000 that the government has been providing in support of cancer patients’ treatment.

The government provides Rs100,000 each to cancer patients for their treatment. 

Cancer patient Nim Narayan said he had received health facilities worth Rs44,536 from the hospital only once in April 2012. 

“When I visited the hospital for a regular check-up on Friday, the hospital informed me that I have already used up the amount,” he said, claiming that the hospital had provided a record of “forged document” with a signature of Dr Jaya Shrestha. The document suggests that “I had been administered chemotherapy worth Rs20,330 on August 3. The record also shows that I had received medicine named Iloxin worth Rs 29,100 as prescribed by Dr Ranjan Bhakta Bhandari. “But I have not received chemotherapy and any medicines,” said Nim Narayan.

Asked about the incidents, both Dr Shrestha and Dr Bhandari maintained they did not prescribed the said treatment and medicines to Nim Narayan, saying that somebody might have forged their signatures and embezzled the amount. They demanded the hospital administration investigate the incident.

Deputy Director of the hospital Dr Dej Gurung said that the hospital administration has taken the issue very seriously and  assured that a thorough investigation into a possible connection of doctors, staff and employees of Sajha Pharmacy over the issue.