Nepalgunj, July 19: Radiotherapy service, an essential facility for treatment of cancer patients, has been disrupted for nearly three months at the Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Banke. The service is off-limits after medical equipment, linear accelerator (LINAC), failed to function.
Patients, especially from western belt of the country- Lumbini, Karnali and the Sudurpaschim Provinces- have been bearing the brunt of disruption in service. More than 25 patients were receiving radiotherapy services at the hospital every day, but after the machine conked out, they were forced to go to hospitals in Indian cities such as Baharaich, Lucknow and Delhi for treatment.
Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital is a major government facility catering cancer treatment in the western regions of the country.
The hospital administration informed RSS that there were no technicians to repair the equipment at the hospital. The resumption of radiotherapy services is in limbo, especially after the company supplying the machine denied repairing it. The company has the reason that it was not cleared outstanding payment.
However, the hospital argues the remaining payment was stopped for the vendor because the machine was supplied, breaching the contract that it had a different HS code and country of origin from what was mentioned in the purchase contract.
Executive director at the hospital, Dr Niraj Bhattarai, informed that discussions were underway with the Ministry of Health and Food Safety on operation of the LINAC machine. Even a letter was written to the ministry to resolve the problem.
Expressing confidence that the machine will be resumed with the necessary decision by the ministry, Dr Bhattarai said that the ministry was made aware how pressing the disruption of radiotherapy services was.
Information officer at the hospital, Dr Prabin Gupta, also said the ministry was requested to send the necessary technicians to repair the machine. The government could manage the technical manpower from the radiology department of the ministry.
The hospital said it paid 60 percent of the price for equipment, while kept on hold the remaining pay over a dispute on contract breach. The device had cost over Rs 270 million. #nepal #rss
