Chitwan, April 7

A wooden house covered with twigs hemmed by bushes on all sides with creeping creatures around and the threat of wild beasts ever alive; this was where Dr Hiranyadev Pradhan first started treating patients from villages, six decades ago.

The same facility has now evolved into the reputed modern day Bharatpur Hospital.

Recalling the early days against the backdrop of the grand hospital, Dr Pradhan was very nostalgic. “Those were days when we had to bring patients from villages as people wouldn’t come on their own,” shared the 86-year-old resident of Chabahil in Kathmandu.

He had come to Chitwan as a senior medical officer of the then health centre. The place didn’t have modern buildings as the entire district was then a forest teeming with wildlife.Human settlements were very sparse even in the southern plains of the district.

Later, Nepal government with the support of US government prepared a masterplan to set up human settlement here. The forest was cleared to make way for human habitation and people from other places settled here, Dr Pradhan recalled, adding a health post was set up to cater to people who came to live here.

Dr Pradhan came to Chitwan as a medical officer of the health post with three supporting staff one senior assistant health worker and two assistants. “It was in 1957 when work to build the hospital started with the assistance of Chitwan-Nepal-US Joint Fund after the health centre was upgraded into a hospital,” he said.

“I drew only 200 rupees monthly salary then, Dr Pradhan recounted. “When the US mission added Rs 200 more as medical allowance, it was a matter of great joy to me,” he recalled.

The hospital used to treat four to five patients a day, now it serves more than 500 patients daily. It now has 435 beds and is planning to raise the bed capacity to 600. Regarding the present scenario, Dr Pradhan rued the fact that medical professionals were more interested in money than service.

“Back then, I spent 115 rupees per month to get medical education from Kolkata. I feel very sad to see that medical persons have become more money-minded these days,” he remarked.