The Health Ministry is currently holding discussions for the possible merger of two government hospitals—Bir Hospital and National Trauma Centre—under the National Academy of Health Sciences (NAMS). Ministry officials say that the final decision is yet to be taken.

“Talks are ongoing at the ministry regarding the merging of these two hospitals. A decision will soon be made,” secretary at the ministry Kedar Bahadur Adhikari told the Post.

According to the ministry, after the merger, both the hospitals will be run by a single director. Currently, both the hospitals are being run by acting directors. Bhupendra Kumar Basnet is the acting director of Bir Hospital, and Dr Binod Sherchan is the acting director of National Trauma Centre.

The merging has been proposed by the ministry because it states that running the Academy, under two hospitals with two different directors has become tough logistically. Officials at the ministry have also said that the service provided in the hospitals have also been affected due to the presence of two different directors. “As both hospitals are under NAMS, a merger would mean that operations would run more smoothly if there were just one director overseeing all processes,” said Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, spokesperson at the health ministry.  “The hospitals will be properly regulated with a single director. Having two directors is only causing problems.”

“This decision is extremely critical, as a lot of people visit these two hospitals. A decision will be made soon,” said Shrestha.

Both the hospitals are currently in the process of upgrading their infrastructures to provide better quality services to the thousands who flock there every day.

While Bir Hospital will be adding 100 new beds to the existing 550 beds by the end of 2019, the National Trauma Centre will be adding 15 ICU beds (currently there are 11), establishing a well-equipped red area in the Emergency Room, initiating its own blood transfusion centre and providing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services.

Meanwhile, some officials and doctors of both the hospitals have doubts about this step and believe it is a mistake.

“How can it be assured to the public that only having one person in charge of two big hospitals will ensure that operations will run more smoothly? Shouldn’t it make more sense to have two directors for two hospitals?” said a high-level official at the Bir Hospita,l on the condition of anonymity.