How to Access Free Treatment Services from 7,000 Hospital Beds Nationwide
The Ministry of Health has launched the ‘Free Health Portal’ to provide details of 10 percent of hospital beds available free of charge across the country. So far, 23 hospitals have reported that out of 5,325 beds listed on the portal, 621 beds are designated as free, with only one currently in use. Private hospitals have expressed difficulties in implementing the 10 percent free bed policy due to the lack of clear guidelines. Kathmandu, April 16.
Hospitals are now required to allocate 10 percent of their beds for underprivileged, helpless, and abandoned patients, and this information is being made publicly available through the online system. By operating the ‘Free Health Portal,’ the Ministry of Health and Population has ensured that real-time data regarding available free beds and patients receiving treatment can be accessed nationwide. According to the ministry’s spokesperson, Dr. Sameer Adhikari, the portal provides easy access to information about the number of free beds available in hospitals, who is receiving treatment there, and how many beds remain vacant.
The ministry states that the portal has been introduced to effectively implement legal provisions and to publicly disclose the actual status of free services available at hospitals. According to ministry statistics, approximately 7,000 beds across federal, provincial, and local health institutions will be made available free of charge to impoverished and helpless citizens. Dr. Adhikari further notes that needy patients wishing to avail themselves of free treatment services can do so through the hospitals’ social service units.
Dr. Padam Khadka, president of the Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal (APHIN), the umbrella organization for private hospitals, highlighted that implementing the 10 percent free bed mandate is challenging without clear regulations. He stated, “Only after the government establishes clear policies on how to enforce this, how costs will be managed, and which services will be offered free of charge, can practical implementation become possible.”