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Doc’s zeal to serve sees birth of cancer centre
KATHMANDU, NOV 07 - He is the man behind establishing Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital (BCH) to it’s current predominant stature. Dr Bibek Bahadur Pradhan, a retired gynecologist, who lives in London, has been actively involved in improving the services of the hospital for the past decade.
In 1993, after his retirement as a gynecologist in London, he initiated the Nepal Cancer Project armed with an aim to establish a quality cancer centre in Bhaktapur.
Although, in 1992, the Nepal Cancer Relief Society (NCRS) renovated an old building in Bhaktapur and provided services as a Cancer centre, the centre lacked a radiotherapy machine. So, when ‘by chance’ Dr Pradhan came to know of the dilemma he decided to help.
"I was then the member of the Mansfield Rotary Club and thought our club could do something to help," said Dr Pradhan. The cost of a radiotherapy machine was nearly 30 million rupees. So, Dr Pradhan approached the Rotary International Foundation for support.
The Rotary International Foundation, is the richest non-governmental agency in the United States. When Dr Pradhan asked for support, the Foundation asked for a detailed report into the state of cancer in Nepal and the details of how the machine would be used.
In 1995 Dr Pradhan and David Hurman, Head of the Department of Oncology at Aberdeen Royal Infirmity visited Nepal for the feasibility study. After that, the Rotary Clubs of Mansfield and Kathmandu received the 3-H grant from the Rotary Foundation to buy a new Cobalt Radiotherapy Unit.
Two British volunteers trained six graduates of physics and radiology to use the machine. The centre also began providing pap smear screening for women – screening of breast cancer in women.
Dr Pradhan also noticed that a large number of the patients coming for treatment at the hospital could not afford the services. So, he initiated the Cancer Upachar Dan, a fund to support those patients. Dr Pradhan aims to create a trust of 10 million rupees, which would go into providing free radiology treatment for 200 destitute patients every year. "The fund would support these patients for 25 years," he said.
Twenty per cent of the trust fund will be raised by Dr Pradhan, of which nearly 1.4 million rupees has already been collected. The Rotary Clubs of Nepal will raise the rest of the 80 per cent.
He hopes to achieve his target in three years.
Two years ago, the centre was given the status of a Hospital. Now, BCH has 53 staff and in just four years the number of out patients have increased from 781 to 2495 in 2002.
"Every year the number of patients is increasing," he said. Similarly, those seeking radiology treatments have increased from 66 to an estimated 400 this year. "To provide quality services for the ever increasing number of patients, the hospital needs to be expanded," said Dr Pradhan.
Dr Pradhan has been approaching the government to grant an assistance of 12 million rupees for a new operating theatre, a 72-bed new building, guesthouse and a simulator. He has appealed to the government to issue the much needed assistance to help make the hospital self-sufficient.Posted on: 2003-11-06 08:06
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