Bed shortage worsens at Rapti Institute of Health Sciences
The Rapti Institute of Health Sciences is facing an acute shortage of hospital beds as the number of patients seeking treatment has surged sharply. The hospital reported that around 900 patients visit daily, with nearly half requiring admission.
Currently, the institute has only 320 beds available. Information Officer Nishan Bhattarai said the shortage will persist until the new hospital building becomes operational. The number of patients visiting the institute is increasing by the hundreds of thousands each year. In the current fiscal year alone, 218,079 patients have received outpatient and inpatient services.
In the previous fiscal year (2023/24), the institute served 176,974 patients—168,522 through outpatient and 8,452 through inpatient services.
Registrar Shyam Lamsal said that the hospital’s services are expanding as more specialists and modern medical equipment are added. He emphasized the institute’s goal of becoming a major healthcare hub in western Nepal and called for collective efforts to support its development.
Lamsal added that neurosurgery services began last fiscal year, while cath lab services for heart disease treatment are set to start by November. Urology services are already in operation. Construction of a new 400-bed hospital is also set to begin soon. Additionally, community health services have been launched in Holeri and Triveni of Rolpa, and the MBBS program is running smoothly.
