Nepal

The Bir Hospital has responded to the notice issued by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and clarified that it has been submitting the house-rent tax to the Inland Revenue Office. 

Issuing a public notice the Kathmandu Metropolitan City stated that Bir Hospital had failed to pay tax on time.

Responding to the notice, Bir Hospital also asked the KMC why it did not collect information from the concerned offices before issuing the public notice, said Sagar Mishra, according to the information officer at Hospital.

"The Bir Hospital has been paying tax at the Inland Office even before the Local Government Operation Act. As no information was relayed by the KMC on whether it changed the tax rate, it was paying the tax at the earlier tax rate."

"Some 2,500 patients visit the Hospital for treatment on a daily basis. The employees are busy on managing the patients' influx," Mishra added. This might have happened because of the confusion surrounding the change in the tax rate.     

Even the pharmacies are run on the Bir Hospital premises since 2015, said Nawaraj Khanal, a pharmacy owner. He further said, as the KMC issued a public notice, they have informed the Bir Hospital in this regard.

Meanwhile, the visitors at this hospital have complained of growing mismanagement.

Aite Tamang, hailing from Nuwakot, shared that the ticketing counter, laboratory, and OPD services were quite messy. 

Similarly, the attendants to the patients said even the water pipes and taps are broken and there are no functioning taps.

The Information Officer however admits that it was natural to have hustle and bustle in the health facility where some 6,000 people come and go by on a regular basis. 
- RSS