In addition to increasing the number of patients in hospitals in the capital, priority should be given to the expansion of services in provincial and large hospitals of the country.
What you should know
The development of modern equipment has made the treatment process easier and more efficient, which has significantly increased the average life expectancy of people. Three decades ago, the average life expectancy of Nepalis was around 56 years, but now it has increased to 71 years. The highest use of technology in treatment has also made the patient comfortable.
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is one of the highest achievements in technology – CathLab, or Catheterization Laboratory. This service is very life-saving if the patients with 'blockage' in the heart or blood vessels need to be treated immediately due to accidents, natural calamities, injuries etc. Such a service has been introduced in Nepal, even in practice since a decade ago There is a
. However, this service is not available or is not regular in the big government hospitals of Kathmandu. Not having a 'cathlab' is a problem in itself, even in the hospitals that have them, they have been kept out of use due to lack of manpower. Even in damaged condition it is stored without repair. Due to this, patients have to wait for months for the services of 'cathlab' in the treatment of sensitive organs like the heart. Or when government hospitals 'refer' to private hospitals for this service, patients have to suffer financially. This situation is ironic.
National Trauma Center's 'cathlab' itself has been unused for 13 years. The Government of India, which built a trauma center, arranged a 'cathlab' in the year 2069 to provide immediate treatment, especially if there is a blockage in the heart or veins of the accident victims. However, due to the lack of skilled manpower, Trauma has not yet been put into operation. There is a 'cathlab' in Veer Hospital, which is next to the trauma center, but it runs only two days a week due to lack of manpower. Civil hospital does not have cath lab.
Gangalal National Heart Disease Center has four in operation but even they are not enough due to the pressure of patients. One of the three at the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center and one at the Trivi Teaching Hospital 'cathlab' are 12 years old. Being old, it breaks down from time to time. When this situation is happening in the capital's main hospital, the situation of other hospitals across the country can be easily assessed.
In some cases, heart patients need immediate treatment. Therefore, there is a need to have a strong infrastructure with as many specialists as possible and nationwide for the treatment of heart related diseases. "Cathlab" is also one of them. It is estimated that there are more than 4 million people in Nepal who have some kind of heart problem. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Nepal. More than 46,000 people die annually from this disease, which is about a quarter of all deaths. 70% of deaths due to heart disease are due to heart attacks. Since
, due to overcrowding of patients, the number of people waiting for heart treatment at Gangalal Heart Center and Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular Center alone is about 5 thousand. There are 6,000 patients waiting for their turn to be operated on for heart and other diseases at Veer and Terti Teaching Hospitals. Every day, 130 to 170 heart patients visit Veer's OPD. According to doctors, usually one 'cathlab' can treat the hearts of 12 to 15 people per day. However, patients are forced to wait for months for treatment due to lack of convenient services in the capital's government hospitals. Alternatively, one is forced to seek treatment at a private hospital paying expensive fees. It is difficult for an average Nepali to collect such fees. Therefore, it is necessary to expand and ensure services in government hospitals where services are available at relatively low cost. For this, the Ministry of Health and Population should take special initiatives.
The government needs to work from three angles. First, manpower management. Hospitals like Veer where 'cathlab' service is not able to operate regularly. Likewise, lack of manpower has also been cited as the reason why the 'cathlab' in a busy hospital like the National Trauma Center has not been used for 13 years. Therefore, the government should manage the manpower there. Posts should be added as per requirement.
Second, regular expenses of purchase or maintenance should be accounted for. According to an official of that hospital, it will cost at least 40-50 lakh rupees to upgrade and repair the trauma 'cathlab' which has been unused for a long time. Similarly, the old 'cathlabs' of Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center and Trivi Teaching Hospital keep breaking down from time to time. This leads to service interruption. Therefore, it is necessary to incur expenses for regular maintenance of 'cathlab' including trauma. The maintenance should be regularized by the hospital itself from its own internal resources, with the help of the government or through other options.
Third, the 'cathlab' service should be expanded. In addition to increasing the number of patients in hospitals in the capital, priority should be given to the expansion of services in provincial and large hospitals of the country. This service is said to be expensive to set up and run regularly. But it is the responsibility of the government to give first priority to the health of citizens. It should be serious and honest.
