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Nepal: Lives at risk as severe power cuts hit hospitals

KATHMANDU, 15 January 2009 (IRIN) - Kathmandu hospital patients, especially those requiring dialysis or in need of urgent surgery, are at increased risk due to severe power cuts of up to 16 hours a day.

The problem has worsened since 2006 due to inadequate rainfall and poor maintenance of hydro power plants. Nepal depends on hydro-power for 96 percent of its needs.

The power cuts increased from 12 hours a week in 2006 to 10 hours a day in 2008. By 11 January 2009, the power cuts had increased to 16 hours a day.

According to the government-run Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), water levels of the River Kulekhani, the main source of hydroelectric power, are dropping.

Daily demand is 800 megawatts (MW) but supply is only 320MW, including imported electricity from India (less than 10 percent of the total), according to NEA.

Generators liable to break down

"We are very concerned over what would happen in the following weeks if the power cuts continue like this," said Bharat Pradhan, executive director of the Public Health Concern Trust (PHECT-Nepal), a charitable organisation that runs Kathmandu Model Hospital, one of the country's largest private hospitals, which caters mostly for the poor.

His hospital had no choice but to use diesel generators, but he was worried they might break down.

Generators often break down if used more than 4-6 hours a day, but most hospitals are using them 10-16 hours a day, or more. Replacing them is costly.

Medical workers told IRIN that while hospitals outside the capital were accustomed to irregular supplies of electricity, the pressure on Kathmandu's 50-plus hospitals was greater.

The government recently said it would supply regular power to major public hospitals, but this has not yet happened, according to health officials.

Heading towards an emergency

"We are gradually heading towards an emergency. There is already a heavy impact on medical equipment and operating theatres," said Bijya Male, president of the Chattrapati Free Clinic, which receives some 200 patients every day.

"Most hospitals are reducing surgical operations as they are risky with a generator," said Mahesh Nakarmi, director of the Health Care Foundation-Nepal (HECAF).

Kidney patients at risk

HECAF runs the National Kidney Centre, the country's largest dialysis treatment facility, on which thousands of kidney patients depend.

"How to sustain our services is increasingly becoming a challenge for us," said Nakarmi, adding that patients were very worried about the impact of the power cuts.

HECAF has over 80 patients a day taking turns to use 30 life-saving dialysis machines. So far it has managed to run them using generators.

"If these machines break down, many lives will be at stake," Narkarmi warned.

"Kidney failure is emerging as a major health issue, with 2,600 new patients every year," according to HECAF.

Public health experts say a kidney disease epidemic is sweeping the country because of changing lifestyles. Hypertension and diabetes top the list of reasons for kidney disease.

About 14 percent of Nepalis over 20 and around 19 percent of those over 40 are reportedly suffering from chronic diabetes. A quarter of them develop kidney failure if not treated, according to HECAF.

Meanwhile, hospitals have taken to reducing the use of ultrasound, lab equipment, X?rays and CAT (computed axial tomography) scan machines. "We're coping with a lot of difficulties and are under immense pressure," said PHECT's Pradhan.

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