BHAKTAPUR: A new annex ward has been brought into operation at the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.

Chief of Province 3 Anuradha Koirala inaugurated the annex ward amidst a function organised on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the hospital here on Tuesday.

Addressing the programme, Province Chief Koirala underlined the need of removing discrimination at hospitals against people suffering from cancer and HIV/AIDS.

House of Representatives member Mahesh Basnet claimed that Bhaktapur, which is the centre of health and education sector, should be made the capital of Province 3 for the convenience of the people of all districts in the province.

Hospital advisor Diwakar Rajkarnikar, on the occasion, stressed that the hospital still lacked required buildings and infrastructure to cope with the increase in number of patients.

In the same programme, Prof Dr Rishikesh Narayan Shrestha, Medical Director of the Hospital shared that the hospital provided OPD services to 34,000 people in 2013 and the number increased to 68,000 in 2017. Similarly, the hospital has treated 3,400 cancer patients so far.

The hospital has been treating 96 patients daily while providing OPD services to 300 people a day.