Ministry reminds health facilities to allocate 10 percent beds to indigent, helpless groups

Kathmandu: The Ministry of Health and Population has directed health facilities across the country to allocate 10 percent of beds to indigent, helpless, and neglected patients for free treatment.

The Ministry dispatched a separate letter to health facilities at each local level and to all the government, community, and private health institutions across the country to allocate 10 percent of the total beds they each have for providing free treatment to the target groups.

This is the third time the Ministry is sending instructions to hospitals at 753 local levels to implement the provision mandated by Clause 64 of the Public Health Service Act and Clause 70 (D) of Health Facility Operation Standard-2077 BS.

The Standard mandates each health facility to allocate 10 percent of beds for free treatment for those patients who are from indigent community, are helpless and neglected. The Ministry has said it would be monitoring whether its directive was endorsed by hospitals.