Rahul Sah, son of Geeta Sah (48) from Parsa, who is undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Medical College in Sinamangal, got lost in a pharmacy outside the hospital for about two hours last Saturday.

On the second day of the Gen-G movement, the doctor prescribed medicine for Geeta, who was suffering from burning pain in her hands, feet, and stomach from the acid thrown by the protesters. But when the medicine was not available at the hospital pharmacy, she had to go to an outside pharmacy. ‘When you bring medicine from outside, you have to pay for it, and I didn’t have the money. I asked for help from donors, and only after I managed to get the money did I take the medicine,’ says Rahul.

Even though the government has promised to provide free medicine and treatment to those injured in the Gen-G movement, the injured and their families are spending their own money. ‘We got 20,000 from the government, but when we buy medicine from outside and add other expenses, it doesn’t add up. 30,000 more has been spent on medicine alone, and we have to find money for the rest of the hospital stays, meals, and snacks,’ he says. Fearing that Geeta’s wound might get infected, Rahul requested the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu to keep his mother in a cabin. ‘Mummy’s wound is big, her sugar level has increased, and I requested to keep her in a cabin to see if the infection would increase,’ says Rahul, ‘but I couldn’t keep her in a cabin because there was a fee for the cabin.’ 

Kamal Ghimire (27) of Kavre Bethanchowk, who is undergoing treatment at the HCU ward of KMC, has been shot in the left thigh. His uncle Prannath Ghimire, who is staying at the hospital, says that they have to bear the cost of medicines and ‘diet’ that have to be taken from outside.

‘I have already brought medicines worth more than 2 lakh rupees from outside, the doctor has said that only if the patient is given a diet, he will recover faster,’ says Prannath, ‘I spend up to 3 thousand rupees a day on diet. We are bearing that expense from relatives and associates.’ While visiting him at the hospital, the CDO has asked Prannath to collect the expense bill and keep it.

‘He said he would come back later, but it is difficult to spend it right now,’ he says. Ravi Bhandari (29), the father of Purna Bahadur, who is undergoing treatment at B&B Hospital, says that even though the government provided free treatment for his son, they have already incurred expenses of around 80,000. “We have spent Rs. 50,000 on food, snacks, transportation and medicines that are not available in the hospital. I ordered Rs. 50,000 and collected Rs. 30,000 from various places,” he says. Ravi has a bullet wound in his left ankle.

Vikram Lamkah, who is undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, has a bullet wound in his right leg. He had an MRI scan at Medicity Hospital on 25 Bhadra that cost Rs. 30,000. He managed the money by asking his relatives. “That money has not been returned. At other times, when the hospital does not provide medicine, it costs Rs. 5-10,000 to bring medicine from outside,” says Vikram.

Prakash Bohra, who was shot in his left leg, is undergoing treatment at the Trauma Center. According to Prakash’s wife Radhika Bohra, she says that even though the government has provided Rs. 20,000 for the injured, it has not been enough. ‘The government has not provided money to buy medicine from outside, it has been spent on its own. Some people are helping,’ she says, ‘About 60,000 rupees have been spent so far on medicine, snacks, food, and travel to and from the hospital. If there were no helpers, it would have been difficult to raise the money.’

Deepak Rai (45) of Khokana had his left leg broken in Bhainsipati on 24 Bhadra during the Gen-G movement. He was discharged a month ago. He says that he had covered the initial expenses at the hospital, but they have not been reimbursed. He was admitted to Medicity Hospital on the same day he was injured.

‘The hospital discharged him that day. When I called him at night because it was difficult, they said, “You have been discharged, now you will have to pay.” Then I went to Patan Hospital. Initially, I spent about 25,000 rupees,’ says Deepak, ‘Later, I spoke to the hospital administration. Finally, it was free. I understood about the money spent. He said that he would not get it back.’ He says that he also had to bear the cost of the medicine he had to buy from outside.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, says that the government will also bear the cost of those who buy medicine from outside the hospital. ‘We have also told patients and hospitals that if someone has bought it from outside for urgent reasons or for other reasons, they should take the bill to the hospital where they received treatment. They give cash and attach the bill and make the payment to the Ministry of Health,’ he says, ‘The Ministry of Health will pay the hospital.’

But the injured and their relatives are not aware of it. Rahul, the son of injured Geeta, says that they have not received any information about it. ‘We were not told that the money we brought medicine from outside would be refunded, nor were we told to submit the bill,’ he says. Injured Vikram also says that he has no information about submitting the bill from outside to the hospital.

The government had announced that free treatment would be provided to those injured during the protests on 23 and 24 Bhadra. On 23 Bhadra and 5 Asoj, the cabinet meeting decided to provide free treatment to the injured and to instruct all hospitals for the same. ‘2,571 people were injured in the protests and reached the hospital for treatment, 50 of them died. Of the remaining 2,521 people, 2,300 have already received identity cards and Rs 20,000 each for medical expenses,’ says spokesperson Budhathoki. ‘The process of distributing identity cards and medical expenses to the remaining 221 injured is also underway.’

He said that although the patients have not received cash, they are receiving free treatment at various hospitals and bills are still coming in from the hospitals. So far, bills for treatment expenses have been received from hospitals including Nepal Police, Trauma Center, and Hams, but bills are yet to come from many hospitals,’ he says.

Ministry of Finance spokesperson Tanka Prasad Pandey says that as the injured and their relatives have complained, payment of treatment expenses is yet to be made. "On the recommendation of the Home Ministry, the families of the deceased have been paid Rs. 1.5 million, and about 2,300 patients have received Rs. 20,000 each as compensation," he says. "The Ministry of Finance has not released any funds for treatment expenses. Hospitals are providing free treatment, they send the bills to the Health Ministry. The Ministry of Finance reimburses the expenses based on the recommendation of the Health Ministry." The Home Ministry had recommended payment of Rs. 1.5 million to the families of 53 deceased, excluding those involved in the prison vandalism and whose identities have not been revealed.

76 people died during the protests on 23 and 24 Bhadra. 50 of them died in hospitals and the remaining 26 died in Bhatbhateni, private residences that were set on fire, etc. Although most of those injured in the Gen-G movement and protests have been discharged, the Ministry of Health has stated that 11 injured are still undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Of these, 4 are at the National Trauma Center, 3 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, 2 at Kathmandu Medical College, 1 at B&B and 1 at Nobel Medical College in Biratnagar.

28-year-old Prakash Bohara (gunshot wound to the leg), 20-year-old Liza Adhikari (gunshot wound to the thigh), 22-year-old Mukesh Awasthi (gunshot wound below the knee) and 22-year-old Abhishek Shrestha (gunshot wound below the knee) are being treated at the Trauma Center. Similarly, Vikram Lamkaha (gunshot wound to the leg), 23-year-old Sanjay Ghising (gunshot wound to the hand) and 18-year-old Bhak Bahadur Nepali (gunshot wound to the head) are being treated at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.