Bagmati Province Mandates Free Bed Services in Private Hospitals

Hetauda. The Ministry of Health of Bagmati Province has issued a directive to all private and non-governmental hospitals operating within the province to provide free bed services. The Ministry has instructed these institutions to mandatorily allocate 10 percent of their total bed capacity for free medical treatment.

In a circular issued on Monday, the Ministry ordered strict adherence to the legal provisions outlined in Section 3, Sub-section (6) of the Bagmati Province Health Services Act, 2075.

The Act requires every hospital to establish a social service unit to provide free treatment to destitute, extremely poor, marginalized, disabled, and helpless individuals on at least 10 percent of their total beds. All expenses incurred for providing necessary services, medicines, and treatment to the targeted groups must be borne by the respective hospitals.

The Ministry issued this reminder following reports that the implementation of these legal provisions has been unsatisfactory and in response to various complaints received from the public. The Ministry has directed hospitals to ensure the provision of these free services and to regularly submit progress reports regarding their implementation.