At a time when doctors are warning of a devastating third Covid-19 wave hitting the country anytime soon, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to suspend free treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The 67th working committee meeting of the City on Wednesday announced to suspend free treatment services at the Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital and Chhetrapati Free Clinic Hospital purportedly to cut costs.

Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital had 130 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients and a high flow oxygen facility. Similarly, Chhetrapati Free Clinic Hospital had over 30 beds and five ventilators.

The City’s announcement has drawn strong reaction from doctors and public health experts. They have called the City's announcement short-sighted.

“The recent daily surge in Covid-19 cases shows that the situation could get severe anytime as hospital beds are already full with coronavirus patients,” said Dr Baburam Marasini, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.

“The City has enough budget and it’s not able to spend it. Instead of recruiting more health officials and opening more Covid-19 treatment centres, it has decided to suspend the services. It is unfortunate,” said Marasini.

Ishwar Man Dangol, spokesperson of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City said the meeting decided to suspend the services because there were not enough patients and the City was incurring a loss.

“If the virus cases surge, we will resume the services,” said Ishwar Man Dangol, spokesperson of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

But the cases are already surging.

Nepal on Thursday reported 3,007 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours with 39 Covid-19 related fatalities. Likewise, Kathmandu Valley recorded 1,075 new infections in the past 24 hours. Of these, 766 cases were confirmed in Kathmandu, 163 in Lalitpur and 146 in Bhaktapur.

Dr Anup Bastola, director at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku says all Covid-19 beds at the hospital are occupied. Similar is the condition at Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Patan Hospital.

“This is a sign of the start of a third wave. All hospitals that have been treating Covid-19 patients should prepare themselves for a surge in cases,” said Bastola.

Hari Kunwar, chief of the Public Health Division of the City, said it costs Rs4.8 million per month to run a 35-bed isolation centre. “You can imagine how much money the City was losing by running all those facilities when there were not enough patients,” said Kunwar.

Dr Marasini, however, says the City has enough money and it should have instead recruited more health professionals to mitigate the impending risks.

“Even the Chaurjahari Municipality in Rukum has bought a PCR machine and it has kept its health services on the standby, but the Kathmandu Metropolitan City which didn’t even set up an isolation or quarantine centres has closed the facilities when health workers are warning that the situation could turn severe anytime soon,” said Marasini.

The City’s coronavirus report of August 2 shows that a total of 72,058 residents are infected with the virus and 3,104 people are in home isolation. The report put active cases at 3,284 and total fatalities at 510.

Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, says the City’s decision to suspend the free treatment services is wrong.

“The risk of the third Covid wave is only getting higher, so the City should have continued the services even if there are fewer patients. We are passing through a critical time now,” said Pun.