TILOTTAMA, RUPANDEHI: The Lumbini Zonal Hospital has brought the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) into operation, following its inauguration by Health Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa on Friday.

The system was installed at the cost of Rs 10 million provided from the Department of Health Services and is expected to decrease infant mortality rate, increase the number of pregnant women visiting the hospital for delivery and end the compulsion of referring newborns to elsewhere for further treatment.

According to the hospital management, out of 30 to 35 babies born at the hospital on a daily basis, about 10 require admission to the ICU for further treatment.

"One is provided with the service at relatively cheaper rate as compared to private hospitals," said the the Hospital's Medical Superintendent Dr Bikas Devkota.

Eight beds have been allocated for the service.

For the facility, five doctors including medical officers and pediatricians, 12 staff nurses and five hospital staff have been employed, he added.

Meanwhile, speaking at the inaugural, Minister Thapa said that the government was committed to implementing the citizen health insurance to ensure the citizen health service.

He also stressed the need for focusing and taking initiatives for government hospitals to provide quality services and to equip them with necessary medical resources in order to end the compulsion of people to visit private health institutions for treatment.

Minister Thapa also directed private hospitals to implement the agreement to allocate at least 10 per cent beds for the poor people.

"Otherwise, licences of hospital owners flouting the agreement will not be renewed," he said.