LUMBINI: Lumbini Provincial Hospital has implemented a ‘triage system’ in its emergency ward to manage the increasing flow of patients. The hospital administration stated that this system aims to provide services to critically ill patients on a priority basis.

According to the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Vishnu Prasad Gautam, between 2,000 and 2,500 service seekers currently visit the hospital daily for treatment and health consultations. He expressed confidence that the triage system will be effective in providing timely treatment to critical patients amidst limited human resources and infrastructure.

Following the government’s suspension of Health Insurance Program services at private healthcare institutions, the number of patients visiting government hospitals to avail of insurance-related services has significantly increased. The hospital administration noted that the surge of patients at the provincial hospital is due to an influx of service seekers referred from private hospitals as well as those coming directly to access services through their health insurance.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Gautam explained that under the triage system, patients arriving at the hospital are categorized based on the severity of their health condition rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. He informed that patients in critical condition are assigned a red tag and their treatment begins immediately.

Similarly, patients in moderate to severe condition are categorized under a yellow tag, while patients with common fevers, minor injuries, or conditions where waiting does not pose a threat to life are categorized under a green tag.

According to the hospital, this system will ease the management of the emergency ward and ensure that critical patients receive timely treatment. It is also expected to minimize the risk of patients losing their lives while waiting for their turn to receive treatment.

Ajayaman Shrestha, Chairman of the Hospital Development Committee, stated that every necessary effort is being made to make service delivery more effective, seamless, and grievance-free by maximizing the utilization of available human resources and equipment.

He noted that managing services is becoming more challenging day by day due to the massive gap between available resources and the growing volume of service seekers.