CHITWAN: Bharatpur Hospital has once again secured the highest position among the country’s federal hospitals in the Minimum Service Standards (MSS) assessment conducted by the Quality Measurement and Regulation Division under the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene, scoring 89 points.

The hospital retained its leading position by improving on last year’s performance, when it scored 88 points. BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan, ranked second with 77 points, while Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences secured third place with 71 points. The assessment of Patan Hospital is still underway.

According to Dr. Shriram Tiwari, Coordinator of the Quality Measurement and Regulation Division, Bharatpur Hospital demonstrated the strongest service delivery performance among the country’s 14 federal hospitals. The evaluation was based on 1,497 indicators covering various aspects of healthcare quality and service delivery.

Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. Bishwabandhu Bagale said the hospital achieved better results in the current fiscal year by upgrading its overall services and facilities. He noted that improvements were made in patient care, medical equipment, work schedules, cleanliness, medicine availability, and human resource management.

Bharatpur Hospital, which has a capacity of 600 beds, receives between 2,500 and 3,000 patients at its Outpatient Department (OPD) every day. It currently provides 14 super-specialty services. The hospital has also experienced a rise in the number of health insurance patients after insurance services were suspended at private hospitals in the district.

Despite the improved performance reflected in the MSS assessment, Dr. Bagale acknowledged that the hospital still faces challenges in fully meeting patients’ expectations. He said the growing patient load and limited resources have made it difficult to provide services at the desired level, even though the hospital remains committed to improving the quality of care.