By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 27: A report based on the inspection of the Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) has shown that the health centre was incapable to provide services as per its standards.
The report was prepared by officials of the Nepal Medical Council (NMC).

The Ministry of Health and Population, on July 25, had directed the NMC and Medical Education Commission (MEC) to probe the situation of the BPKIHS.
The NMC had then decided to send two of its officials – vice president Dr. Narayan Bikram Thapa and member Dr. Prenit Kumar Pokhrel – for inspection on August 15.
The officials inspected the health institution from August 18 to August 21.

The NMC and MEC had decided to inspect the two different situations – NMC probed the health services provided there while MEC examined the medical education sector.
In its report, NMC officials informed that they physically inspected the OPD, several wards, labs and emergency services of the BPKIHS. They also held discussions with concerned stakeholders, including the service seekers and health personnel deployed at the institution.

According to the report, there was crowd in the emergency ward; manpower was enough but proper management and necessary infrastructure were lacking.
“There are not enough ICU beds due to which the patients with severe ailments arriving at the emergency ward are being referred to other hospitals. On a daily basis, 15-20 patients are being referred to other hospitals,” read the report.

The scenario was similar in OPD wards as patients have to wait for their turn for hours, the report read.
The report stated that only resident doctors were diagnosing patients.
There was also no pharmacy inside the hospital while there were numbers of pharmacies outside the gate of the BPKIHS. Garbage management was also found poor.

The BPKIHS is a major health centre for the people of eastern Nepal, but the service seekers have been complaining about the services provided there.
Health activists have also been demanding proper investigation into the administration of BPKIHS citing corruption.
Following criticisms from all the sides, the government had decided to probe the health institution.

The report has suggested the government to conduct inspection of the institution regularly and that the committees and manpower needed to coordinate for providing quality services.
The government has also been recommended to manage require infrastructure and resources for the BPKIHS.