Kathmandu, February 15:

While the number of emergency patients in Bir Hospital has gone up, the number of patients in the Out Patient Department (OPD) has decreased due to the bandh called jointly by the National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities and Indigenous Nationalities Joint Struggle Committee.

According to Dr Achyut Shrestha of the hospital, the flow of patients in the emergency ward is very high during bandhs.

“In normal days, we used to have around a hundred patients in the emergency section, but during bandhs and strikes the number goes to as high as 200 patients,” he said, adding, “Most of them are accident cases.” Bhoj Raj Kafle of Sindhupalchok arrived at the hospital for a blood check-up, but was unable to get an appointment with any of the doctors as some doctors had closed their departments before the usual closing time.

“The doctors closed their departments because of the less number of patients,” Kafle said, adding that though he had to return home today itself he had to put up at his friend’s place due to the bandh.