CHITWAN: In the wake of coronavirus crisis in Nepal, a majority of private hospitals in Chitwan are engaged in fabricating rumours -- that coronavirus infection spread from government hospitals -- to route delivery cases to their facilities.

Bharatpur Hospital, one of the pioneer facilities in the area, has been seeing lesser number of patients due to the rumours of late.

However, private hospitals, while they are refraining from treatment of high fever patients, are competing with each other to attract delivery cases in the area.

Leeladhar Paudel, communication officer at Bharatpur Hospital, said 641 delivery cases were registered including 189 surgeries during the last one-month of this fiscal year compared to 890 cases in the same month of the previous year.

Dr Sunil Mani Pokhel, Chief of Gynaecology Department shared that the hospital manages delivery cases in a separate building and it's absolutely safe.

"We have a separate building with a different entrance for delivery cases." People do not have to fear about contracting the virus from the facility as we us entirely different set of equipments, Dr Pokhrel said.

Last year alone, the hospital provided services to 13,545 patients. However, only 9,728 cases were reported during this fiscal year.

Paediatric specialist Yuvanidi Basaula said the hospital has 12 ICU beds, 6 kangaroo mother care facility, separate ward of 15 beds for new-born babies, nutrition area to handle 10 babies. He further said the hospital charges Rs 1,000 for ICU whereas other services are free of cost.

As per the statistics, Bharatpur Hospital deals with the largest number of delivery cases after Prasuti Griha in Nepal.