Rupandehi, Sept 11 : Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Butwal is struggling without enough beds to cater to increasing numbers of patients. Most of the beds are flooded with patients with dengue and viral fever. The situation has worsened so much that patients are being treated on the floor or a single bed is shared by up to three patients.    

Without space, some patients are forced to return empty handed or some affording it visit private health institutions. Bhimkala Bhandari of Murgiya who visited the hospital for asthma treatment returned without medical help for want of space. "The hospital administration says that it lacks space as the hospital is flooded with patients with dengue and viral fever," said Bhandari, who was guided by her son on a wheelchair.    
Likewise, a new mother got her newly born child treated on the floor.

"The child was born last night. We brought him here for treatment after he could not yell. But doctors are yet to attend to him. We are asked to sit here," said new mother Asma Khatun of Maharajgunj in Kapilvastu.    

"I cannot sleep well. Body parts ache," said Roshan Kumar of Hatbazaar of Butwal, who visited the hospital for dengue treatment. A single bed is shared by both man and woman, creating difficulties, he added.    
The hospital receives at least 1,100 patients on a daily basis. The emergency unit receives 200 patients alone, said the hospital medical superintendent Dr Krishna Khanal.

The hospital emergency section has 24 beds.    
"We are forced to treat many patients on a single bed for want of space. The hospital is overwhelmed by patients with dengue and viral fever lately," he said.    

Likewise, Butwal Hospital Private Limited, Gautam Buddha Community Heart Hospital, Crimson Hospital Manigram, Bhairahawa-based Bhim Hospital and Medical College, Bhairahawa are overwhelmed with patients suffering from dengue and viral fever. The hospital receives 30 to 40 patients with dengue and viral fever on a daily basis, said Kamal Sharma, manager of Medical College, Bhairahawa. (RSS)