Cancer treatment service expansion procedures approved in five more provinces
Kathmandu: The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to expand cancer treatment services in five more provinces. For this, Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel has approved the procedure 2081 for expanding cancer treatment services in hospitals on Wednesday. Minister Paudel approved the National Cancer Control Strategy 2024-30 in his first decision on June 31 after assuming office. The strategy aimed to test and diagnose cancer in all seven provinces. Within a month of that, Minister Paudel approved the procedure on Wednesday.
After the procedure is approved, Bharatpur Cancer Hospital in Chitwan, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Bhaktapur and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Nepalganj will provide expanded cancer treatment services in other parts of the country.
According to the procedure, Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital will provide specialist cancer services to Birganj Hospital in Koshi Province and Narayani Hospital Birganj in Madhesh Province.
Similarly, BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital Bharatpur will provide specialist services to Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences in Gandaki Province, Surkhet Provincial Hospital in Karnali and Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi in Sudurpaschim.
Along with this, the access to cancer treatment services has been expanded in all seven provinces of the country, the spokesperson of the ministry, Dr. Prakash Budhathoki informed.
Minister Paudel mentioned that in the priorities and plans announced last Sunday, cancer treatment services will be expanded in all seven provinces. After that, on Wednesday, he approved the related procedure through a ministerial decision.
“Our policy is to expand cancer treatment services so that common citizens can easily access them, accordingly, we have prioritized the work of expansion. I believe that with the expansion of the services of the federal hospital, now the common citizens will have easy access to cancer treatment services,” said Minister Paudel.
Dr. Krishna Paudel, head of the Ministry’s Policy Planning and Monitoring Division, said that now patients will get the services of the Federal Cancer Hospital from the expanded hospital, which will save both cost and time. Now they will get more help in the service and quality of the hospital with expanded services. He expressed his belief that it will be effective as services will be provided through the expanded hospital by sending satellite clinics and their skilled manpower.
Currently, only three hospitals under the association are providing cancer treatment services. However, once the procedures are approved, the Ministry of Health and Population said that the hospital will start the process to provide services immediately