Dharma BK, a 40-year-old man from ward 7 of Mudkechula Rural Municipality in Dolpa, was rushed to Jumla-based Karnali Academy of Health Sciences on January 8 after he fell seriously ill. The doctors advised him to undergo an immediate dialysis. The patient from the impoverished Dalit community was left in the lurch as the dialysis service had been stopped at the academy for over a year.

The doctors referred Dharma to Nepalgunj for dialysis on January 10. His relatives had a tough time managing money to take him to Nepalgunj for treatment. Efforts were on to manage some money and take him to a well-facilitated hospital in Nepalgunj for dialysis. But Dharma died in the morning on January 11.

“My brother would have survived if there was dialysis service at the academy. I pray that nobody else dies due to lack of dialysis service,” lamented Dharma’s brother, Tauke BK.

According to him, the BK family spent Rs20,000 to take ailing Dharma to the academy all the way from Dolpa, a remote mountain district in Karnali province. But the patient died due to lack of dialysis service at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, a major health institution in the province.

Dharma’s case is just one example. A good number of patients with renal ailments are being referred to other health institutions due to the lack of dialysis service at the academy. “It is unfortunate that such a big hospital does not have dialysis service. I lost my husband because he could not be treated on time. I hope no one else suffers the pain and hardship I had to endure,” said Dharma’s widow Pultisara.

Kidney patients have been severely affected due to lack of dialysis service at the Karnali Institute of Health Sciences. Patients are forced to go to other health institutions in Surkhet, Nepalgunj, Kathmandu or elsewhere for the service.

On August 31, 2023 the then health minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet had inaugurated the dialysis service at the Karnali Institute of Health Sciences by providing six dialysis machines. But the dialysis machines have yet to come into operation.

Local people, patients and their relatives criticise the government and authorities concerned for not operating the dialysis service at the academy. They have been demanding that the service start at the earliest.

“There are dialysis machines in the hospital, but patients who need dialysis have to go to Surkhet, Nepalgunj or elsewhere. People were very happy when the then health ministry had announced to initiate the dialysis service at the academy. But their happiness was short-lived. The government should immediately initiate the service,” demanded Krishna Prasad Gautam, a local resident.

Local people complain that the academy and the government authorities have ignored Karnali and the people living in the province. “There are dialysis machines in the academy, but they are not in operation. Kidney patients are compelled to visit other health institutions by spending huge amounts of money,” said local Om Bahadur Rawat, adding that this reflects the government’s sheer negligence towards public health.

The Karnali Academy of Health Sciences assures that the dialysis service will come into operation soon. “The dialysis machines at the hospital are old and do not function properly. New machines will be delivered within a week,” said Dr Pujan Rokaya, director at the academy.

Meanwhile, kidney transplantation services have been halted at the Karnali Provincial Hospital in Surkhet for the past six months. The hospital said that transplantation service was suspended due to a lack of trained human resources.

The Sahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Centre in Bhaktapur and the Karnali Provincial Hospital had signed an agreement two years ago to initiate kidney transplant service and expand dialysis services at the provincial hospital. Accordingly, kidneys were successfully transplanted in four patients. But the service has been suspended for the past six months.

“Kidney transplant service has been closed due to lack of trained doctors. Preparations are underway to resume the service within a month,” said Binod Basnet, information officer at the provincial hospital.

(Tripti Shahi contributed reporting from Surkhet)