Sushma Koirala Hospital to be developed as burn treatment center

Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel has said that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is going to be developed as a burn treatment center.

Minister Paudel said it in a program organized on Thursday to welcome the new director Albert Benzin of the hospital in Sankhu in Shankharapur Municipality of Kathmandu. He said that he is working by prioritizing the treatment of burn cases.

He said, "Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is a specialized hospital for burn treatment. The government has recently announced eight other hospitals across the country as hospitals where burns can be treated. Sushma Koirala Hospital can also be added to it, he said.

Health Minister Paudel said that the hospital, which is run by the Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust with German support, can provide training on burn treatment to doctors and nurses working in other hospitals as well.

Similarly, former Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala said that in the beginning, they had to face a lot of problems to open hospitals in remote areas.  She said that in the beginning, there was no treatment for burn cases in the country when the hospital was established.

Nepali Congress central member and parliamentarian Chandra Bhandari mentioned that there is a need for burns treatment hospitals across the country.

Mayor of Shankharapur Municipality, Ramesh Napit, mentioned that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is the oldest burn hospital.

Hospital director Santosh Bikram Bhandari shared that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital was established in 2054 BS as the first hospital in Nepal for the treatment of burns. Since its inception, the hospital has treated 48, 322 people and performed 32, 864 surgeries related to burn cases. The hospital, which is run with the help of Germany, has treated 15,375 people free of cost so far.