Multi-Million Rupee Medical Equipment at National Trauma Center Remain Unused Due to Lack of Skilled Staff
Advanced medical equipment purchased for millions of rupees by public hospitals has remained unused for years. The Office of the Auditor General’s 63rd report highlights that the lack of skilled personnel and weak management have prevented these devices from being operated. At the National Trauma Center, a cath lab machine worth NPR 53.7 million and a CT scan system costing NPR 247.7 million are non-operational, forcing patients to seek care at private hospitals. Kathmandu, May 15.
Despite significant investments in state-of-the-art medical devices at government hospitals, such equipment has been lying idle for years. The absence of qualified staff, deficient management, and negligent decision-making have rendered billions of rupees in public investment ineffective. The Auditor General’s 63rd report brings to light the failure to commission expensive medical devices at institutions ranging from the National Trauma Center to Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital. According to the report, these machines have become akin to “scrap” due to inadequate staffing, lack of training, and poor management practices.
At the National Trauma Center, a cath lab machine valued at NPR 53.78 million has remained unused since 2015 (2072 BS) due to the lack of trained personnel. For nearly a decade, the machine has remained inoperable, depriving patients of vital cath lab services and forcing them to pay high fees at private facilities. This equipment was donated by the Government of India to provide immediate treatment for passengers involved in accidents experiencing blockages in the heart or vessels. Similarly, a CT scan system worth NPR 247.79 million at the same center is also non-functional. In addition, 14 ventilators and 5 C-arm machines remain unused. The backlog of such essential devices at the hospital deprives patients of basic services.
At Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, 300 sets of lead and ECG cables worth NPR 7.26 million are also out of use. Despite being procured, these items have been stored in warehouses for years due to management deficiencies. The situation is similar at Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital in Madhesh Province, where X-ray machines valued at NPR 49.09 million, endourology sets, laparoscopy systems, anesthesia machines, and electrocardiology equipment lie unused. Government manufacturing machines at the Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana Development Committee have also been found unused, including 60 types of machinery. Key equipment such as single rotary tableting machines, automatic capsule filling machines, and powder filling machines remain idle, negatively impacting government drug production. Likewise, the Nepal Police Hospital has state-of-the-art equipment like a 16-slice CT scan and a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner that have not been commissioned and remain unused.
The report emphasizes that many devices have exceeded their warranty periods without being put into operation, depriving the general public of even the minimum healthcare services the state should provide. Health sector experts suggest that while corruption and commission in procurement may exist, the fundamental problem lies in the absence of requisite human resources, training, and maintenance planning. The government’s recurring tendency to purchase equipment without proper planning or preparation has rendered significant investments in health care ineffective.
