Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital in Butwal is facing a financial crisis after the government failed to pay nearly Rs 180 million for the treatment of kidney and heart patients. The hospital has stated that if the government does not pay the amount by mid-December, it will be forced to stop treatment services from Magh 1.

The hospital informed in a press conference organized in Butwal that it has yet to receive payment of Rs 178.1 million 93.79 from the government for the treatment of heart and kidney patients. The hospital is currently providing regular dialysis services to 551 kidney patients through various service centers including Butwal.

According to the hospital, out of the total Rs 203.9 million 31.879 that should be received from the government for the treatment of kidney and heart patients, only Rs 25.8 million 22.500 has been received so far.

The hospital's chairman Ejaz Alam said that the government's failure to pay the amount for treatment on time has stopped the purchase of medicines and equipment in the hospital and the treatment services have started to be affected.

'The hospital is drowning in debt because the government has not paid the crores of rupees it should have on time,' he said. 'The supply of medicines and equipment has been stopped, there has been a problem in paying the salaries of doctors, health workers and employees. The free treatment provided under the Poor Citizens Medicine and Treatment Program has also had to be stopped.'

Under the government-run drug treatment program for poor citizens, payments worth Rs 46.489 million and Rs 139.465 million for dialysis for kidney patients are pending in this fiscal year alone, said Chairman Alam.

According to Kamal Bhandari, the hospital's chief of administration, last year alone, treatment services worth Rs 185.954 million were provided to heart and kidney patients. The hospital also stated that in the current year, treatment services worth Rs 14.572 million and medicines worth Rs 341,459 were provided to five dialysis patients free of charge.

'Since the fiscal year 2079/80, more than Rs 60 million have not been paid,' said Bhandari. 'Due to the tendency to transfer sometimes to the Health Department and sometimes to the Health Insurance, Rs 60.972 million has been withheld for two years.'

He said that the hospital's due amount of Rs 8.5 million disappeared when the payment from the Health Department was transferred to the health insurance system.

Chairman Alam informed that Rs 8.5 million 45 thousand was received less when paying for dialysis services provided from other branches from 2081 Chaitra to 2082 Asar and from 2081 Chaitra to 2082 Baisakh. When looking for the reason for the shortfall, he complained that the Insurance Board and the Health Department were giving irresponsible answers that shifted responsibility from each other.

The hospital has been providing dialysis services to kidney patients from Butwal, Lamahi in Dang, Tansen in Palpa, Banganga in Kapilvastu and Waling in Syangja. A total of 551 kidney patients, including 311 in Butwal, 27 in Lamahi, 59 in Palpa, 67 in Waling and 57 in Kapilvastu, are regularly receiving free dialysis services.