The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will provide free treatment of up to Rs 200,000 to burn patients.
The program is targeted at patients who require treatment for burns caused by fires and other incidents.
Following an agreement between the KMC and the Public Health Concern Trust (Kirtipur Hospital) in Kirtipur, impoverished patients, survivors of violence, and abandoned patients will now be eligible for the treatment.
Acting Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Sunita Dangol said that permanent residents, public representatives, and employees of the KMC, and their families will receive free treatment of up to Rs 200,000 per person from the fund.
According to her, burn patients will not be allowed to use this amount if they choose hospital cabins, EHS (Extended Health Services), or cosmetic treatments.
Under the agreement, the metropolis has provided Rs 20 million to the hospital for operating services and purchasing equipment.
Out of this, Rs 10 million has been allocated for the Burn Treatment Fund, while the remaining Rs 10 million has been handed over as payment for anesthesia machines, generators, and digital X-ray machines purchased last year, Dangol said.
"This fund has been established to ensure that no one is deprived of treatment due to lack of money," she said. "No one should have to suffer burns. We arranged this fund so that in case of an accident, people are not compelled to either not take the patient to hospital due to lack of money or run around looking for money by leaving the patient in the hospital."
Awareness and capacity-building programs on burn prevention methods will also be conducted for firefighters who are on the frontline of fire response, municipal police, health workers, people’s representatives, and locals.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Deepak Kumar KC, head of the health department, on behalf of the KMC and Executive Director Gauri Pradhan on behalf of the hospital.
According to Professor Dr Shankarman Rai of the hospital, the capacity to save burn patients has improved significantly due to recent technological and infrastructure developments.
According to him, until 10 years ago, it was difficult to save patients with 40 percent burns. Now, the capacity has been built to save half of the patients with up to 50 percent burns.
"If we receive support from other bodies like the metropolis, our goal is to be able to save half of the patients with 70 percent burns within the next 10 years," he said.
Previously, the metropolis has also provided equipment support to Bir Hospital, Trauma Center, Teaching Hospital, and Kanti Children's Hospital, and is even preparing to establish its own metropolitan hospital to increase citizens' access to health.
