Municipality gets hospital fees of a child waived

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Kalikot, Dec. 13: Palanta Rural Municipality, in Kalikot district, has waived all the fees of a child who is undergoing treatment at the hospital. 

Ashok Shahi, 13, son of Ghate Shahi of Palanta-6, who has been in the hospital for 20 days now for treatment, was stopped from leaving the hospital. The reason? His family was not able to pay the hospital bill of Rs. 40,000. 

The rural municipality has directed the hospital to waive the fees after a news titled ‘Upachar Kharcha Tirna Naskda Aspatalmai Bandak’ was published in the Gorkhapatra daily. 

Bishnu Bahadur Rokaya, chair of the rural municipality, who is in Kathmandu now, has instructed the hospital to waive the fees soon after the news was published in the Gorkhapatra, said the hospital.  

Dr. Bijay Kumar Mahato, chief of the hospital, confirming the news, said that he had been asked to waive the fees.   

Ghate Shahi and his wife had brought their son to the government hospital run by Palanta Rural Municipality for treatment. 

Laxman Bahadur Bam, former chairman of the rural municipality, said on Sunday that the hospital did not allow Shahi to go home although he was ready to pay the hospital fees.

However, after the publication of the news, the hospital has decided to waive all the fees and treat Ashok Shahi in the hospital until his wounds are completely healed. 

Belpura Shahi, the mother of the child, said that she was happy to learn that she could go home without paying the money.