Cancer Hospital's Radiotherapy Service Halted Due to Machine Malfunction

Nepalgunj. Radiotherapy service has been halted at Sushil Koirala Cancer Hospital in Khajura for about three months due to the LINAC (Linear Accelerator) machine being shut down. Cancer patients who come for daily treatment are forced to go to various hospitals in India due to the disruption of service.

The closure of radiotherapy service has most affected patients from western Nepal as well as Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim. More than 25 patients used to receive radiotherapy service daily at the hospital. However, with the machine shut down, they are forced to go to hospitals in Bahraich, Lucknow, Delhi, and other places in India. Sushil Koirala Cancer Hospital is the main center providing government cancer treatment services for Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim.

According to the hospital administration, there are no technicians at the hospital to repair the machine. The radiotherapy service remains uncertain to resume as the company supplying the machine has refused to repair it, citing non-payment of the remaining balance.

According to the hospital, the supplier's remaining payment has been withheld because the machine supplied had different details than the HS Code (HS Code) and Country of Origin mentioned in the purchase agreement. The hospital administration states that the company has not sent technicians for repair after the payment was withheld.

Hospital Executive Director Dr. Niraj Bharai informed that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene regarding the operation of the LINAC machine and that a letter has been sent to the ministry to resolve the problem. He expressed confidence that the machine will resume operation after the ministry makes the necessary decision and stated that the ministry has been informed about the problems faced by patients due to the disruption of radiotherapy service.

According to hospital information officer Dr. Pravin Gupta, a request has been made to the ministry to send technicians for machine repair. He said that technicians for the radiology department have also been requested from the ministry and efforts are being made to resume the service as soon as possible.

The LINAC machine, brought to the hospital in Poush 2079, came into operation only three months after installation due to disputes related to its purchase. The hospital stated that the supplier brought the machine into operation after receiving assurances of payment from the then director Dr. Prakash Prasad Saha.

During the tenure of the then director Dr. Niraj Bhattari, a fact-finding committee formed at the ministry's request had admitted that the HS Code and Country of Origin were different in the purchase agreement and customs documents. The committee submitted a report to the ministry stating that the quality of the machine could only be evaluated after its operation. Although the machine came into operation based on that report, the hospital administration states that the remaining payment has been withheld due to the lack of a concrete decision from the ministry regarding the HS Code and Country of Origin issues.

According to the hospital, 60 percent of the payment for the machine, which was contracted for more than Rs. 27 crore, has been paid, while eight lakh six thousand US dollars remain to be paid.