Rupandehi. A 200-bed Lumbini Cancer Hospital is going to be built in Siddharthnagar Municipality-8 Anchalpur of Rupandehi with an investment of more than three billion rupees. After the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the hospital, the construction process will proceed.
The EIA report of the hospital was approved according to the ministerial decision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment dated 12th October 2083. It is estimated that about three billion 82 million rupees will be invested in the hospital to be built by Lumbini Cancer Hospital Pvt Ltd. In the preliminary details, it is mentioned that the investment of the project will be around four and a half billion rupees.
According to Kamal Bhandari, the owner and investor of the hospital, the construction process will be started once the EIA report is approved. He said that the goal is to bring the hospital into operation within three years after the construction of the physical structure is completed and the license is obtained.
It is proposed that the hospital building, which will be built on an area of about three bighas, will spread over an area of 19,616.04 square meters. The area of the hospital building will be 1 thousand 458.88 square meters and a bunker structure will also be constructed in an area of 900 square meters. The building will be about 35 meters high and will have an eight-story structure with a basement and a ground floor.
The hospital plans to run services including laboratory, radiology, ultrasound, pathology, surgery, intensive care unit (ICU), outpatient service (OPD), 24-hour emergency service, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is also proposed to provide bone marrow transplant and other specialized treatment services related to cancer.
The basement of the building will have parking, cafe and canteen, underground water tank, generator room and air conditioning system. Emergency services, radiology, pharmacy and 24 beds will be arranged on the ground floor. The first floor will have laboratories, hematology services, cancer treatment outpatient services and 34 beds.
On the second floor, there will be an operating room, a post-operative treatment room, a central instrument cleaning service and a stomach scan machine. On the fourth floor, 50 beds are proposed including surgical ward, ICU, critical care and HDU.
The fifth floor will have 25 beds with palliative care and pediatric cancer treatment services. On the other floors, day care services, administrative rooms, meeting and conference rooms, yoga and meditation, treatment and rehabilitation services and an open roof will be arranged for senior citizens.
A plan to make the hospital disabled-friendly and patient-friendly has also been put forward. For that, seven lifts, wheelchair-friendly structures, disabled-friendly toilets and ambulance services have been proposed.
It is estimated that 285 people will get direct employment after the hospital is operational. According to Bhandari, the hospital will require 220 technical and medical personnel and 65 administrative and other non-technical personnel.
Bhandari said that the purpose of providing quality cancer treatment services to the citizens of Lumbini and Gandaki provinces is to build a hospital in Bhairahawa. After the hospital is operational, it is expected that patients will have to travel to Kathmandu, Chitwan and other cities of India for cancer treatment.
It is expected that it will help to reduce the cost of transportation, accommodation and food for patients and their families who have to go far for regular chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments. Along with Rupandehi, patients from Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi, Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Pyuthan, Rolpa and Dang will also be able to get services from the hospital.
Bhandari’s investment group is also preparing to build and operate a 150-bed advanced hospital in Bhairahawa. It is said that the distance between the proposed Advanced Hospital and Lumbini Cancer Hospital will be around 500 meters. There is a plan to provide treatment services for diseases other than cancer treatment from the advanced hospital.
Although the process of construction of Lumbini Cancer Hospital will proceed with the approval of the EIA report, the specific date for the start of construction and the detailed schedule of service operation have not been announced. Bhandari said that the necessary process will be completed and the construction work will be started.