KATHMANDU, MAY 17 - The Ministry of Health and Population has directed private hospitals and nursing homes to operate from their usual station only after ascertaining the safety of their buildings.
The ministry will verify the assessment made by the health facilities before allowing them to resume operations. The ministry has also asked community and NGO hospitals to resume services only after a thorough assessment of their buildings by authorised agencies and engineers. The report should then be submitted to the ministry which will assess the hospitals’ capacity to function.
The directive comes in the wake of the strong aftershock on May 12 which is believed to have inflicted further damage to hospitals and health centres.
“We will take stern action if we find hospitals to be operating without our consent,” said Dr Guna Raj Lohani, spokesman for the ministry. “The hospitals will be responsible for the loss of life and property caused by their carelessness.”
According to the ministry, 260 state-run health facilities have been destroyed while around 500 have suffered damage in the earthquakes. Six private health institutions also faced loss of property.
In Kathmandu , government teams have marked five hospital facilities unsafe for immediate use. The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), after studying the situation in 20 hospitals, marked five buildings “Red”. These includes a block of Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, Thapathali; new ICU and oncology ward of Bir Hospital; Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku; Block A of Patan Hospital; and Emergency block of Bhaktapur Hospital.
DUDBC officials say that a majority of the old hospital structures were affected. The ministry has decided to conduct post-disaster assessment of the health infrastructure in the 14 worst-hit districts.
A rapid assessment done by the World Health Organization and the ministry after the April 25 jolt had shown that district hospitals in Ramechhap, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok and Rasuwa had become dysfunctional.
The United Nations said in its situation report that around 90 percent health facilities located outside the headquarters of the 14 districts were badly hit.
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