Achham – Starting from Bhadra 1 (August 17, 2025), the Sudurpaschim Provincial Government will take over the operations of Bayalpata Hospital in Achham district. An agreement has been signed between Nyaya Health Nepal, the current managing organization, and the provincial government.
The handover agreement was signed on Sunday between Kunda Dixit, Chairperson of Nyaya Health Nepal, and Dr. Hemraj Regmi, Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development. Social Development Minister Meghraj Khadka was also present at the event.
The provincial government had announced its intention to bring Bayalpata Hospital under its jurisdiction in point 67 of its policy and program and point 145 of the budget speech for the fiscal year 2082/83. Although initially planned to begin from Shrawan 1, operational delays led to a one-month postponement.
Until now, Nyaya Health Nepal provided completely free services, including consultations, medication, surgeries, and patient meals. Serving nearly 100,000 patients annually, Bayalpata is recognized as Nepal’s only hospital offering all services free of charge.
Citing financial strain after the COVID-19 pandemic, Nyaya Health Nepal had been requesting an annual budget of NPR 80–100 million from the provincial government. However, officials from the Ministries of Social Development and Finance were reportedly reluctant to provide support. Deputy Secretary Ganesh Bahadur Singh of the Social Development Ministry is alleged to have influenced the minister and chief minister to block budget allocation.
As a result, Nyaya Health Nepal has been compelled to hand over the hospital. Despite the initial plan to transfer operations from Shrawan 1, the responsibility remained with Nyaya Health Nepal for an additional month due to unresolved issues regarding funding and staffing.
Following a request from the ministry to continue for one more month, Chairperson Dixit and board members personally contributed NPR 8.5 million to keep the hospital running during the transition period.
According to the agreement, from Bhadra 1, the hospital will be operated by government-appointed doctors and healthcare workers. However, the operational structure, model, and management details remain unclear.
The employment of 125 staff members and 65 community health workers, including current hospital chief Dr. Mandeep Pathak, now hangs in uncertainty. Once the agreement is implemented, Dr. Pathak will have to step down from his leadership role.
