Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 24

Sixty three Rotary Clubs of Nepal are organising a 32-km walkathon on April 10 to raise fund for the Cancer Treatment Fund. The organisers hope to raise over Rs 8m from the walk.

The amount will be given to the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, which will directly benefit patients deprived of treatment due to their poor economic condition.

'We are expecting over 5,000 people to participate in the event,' the president of the Rotary Club of Rajdhani, Rajendra B Shrestha, told a press meet organised here today. There are at least 50,000 cancer patients in the country. Seventy per cent of these patients are deprived of treatment because they cannot afford it. Such patients and their families face both mental and financial torture, and this fund is expected to relieve their financial burden a bit, it was informed at the meet.

The walkathon will begin at 7am from Kathmandu and Dhulikhel and end at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Participants will have to walk at least 5km and contribute Rs 100 for each kilometre walked.

At the closing ceremony, various cultural jhankis and a food festival will be held at the square.

'It is a social programme. But general rules and regulations of a marathon will be followed,' informed RK Manandhar, press and publicity coordinator.

Meanwhile, Bhaktapur municipality has provided financial assistance to the Bhaktapur Hospital and Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital for building new buildings. Mayor Dinesh Shrestha handed over a cheque of Rs 1.5 million to the Bhaktapur Hospital and a cheque of Rs 1 million to the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.