KATHMANDU, MAY 29

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone for the Japan-funded Trauma and Emergency Center at Dhulikhel Hospital on Wednesday. The project, supported through Japanese grant assistance, aims to enhance the hospital's capacity to respond to rising cases of trauma and critical illness, according to the press release issued by the Japan Embassy in Kathmandu.

The center is being established under a bilateral agreement signed in October 2023, through which the Government of Japan committed up to 3.296 billion Japanese yen. An additional 573 million yen was pledged earlier this month, bringing the total grant to over 3.869 billion yen (approximately Rs 3.5 billion).

The foundation stone laying ceremony in Dhulikhel Municipality, Kavre, was attended by Health Minister Pradip Paudel, Health Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota, Mayor Ashok Kumar Byanju, Deputy Chief of Missions of the Japanese Embassy Tamura Takahiro, Dhulikhel Hospital Executive Director Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju, and JICA Nepal Chief Representative Matsuzaki Mizuki, among others.

In his address, Prime Minister Oli thanked the Japanese government and JICA for their continued support and emphasized that the new center will significantly improve emergency and trauma care in the region. He said the project would contribute to broader improvements in healthcare delivery and social development.

The demand for emergency medical services in Nepal has increased in recent years due to a rise in road traffic accidents and non-communicable diseases such as strokes and heart conditions. Dhulikhel Hospital, a major tertiary care center at the sub-national level, currently lacks sufficient infrastructure to meet this growing need, the release further stated.

The new center will include emergency rooms, operating theaters, ICUs, and outpatient consultation rooms. It will also be equipped with modern medical equipment such as MRI and CT scanners, C-arm, X-ray machines, and sterilizers.

JICA Nepal's Chief Representative Matsuzaki Mizuki reaffirmed Japan's commitment to helping Nepal achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and well-being. He highlighted Japan's long-standing partnership with Nepal and its continued support for improving the country's healthcare infrastructure.