KATHMANDU: Following the government’s decision to provide holidays on Saturdays and Sundays in government hospitals, outpatient (OPD) services in major public hospitals saw a sharp increase in patient flow on Monday.

The government had earlier decided to introduce two-day weekly holidays (Saturday and Sunday) in an effort to address the global fuel shortage. However, doctors say that with limited human resources and infrastructure, major hospitals in the capital are now struggling to handle thousands of daily patients, leading to service strain.

At major government hospitals such as Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital, and the National Trauma Center, long queues of patients were seen from early morning. The increasing reliance on a few major hospitals for everything from routine check-ups to complex treatments has significantly raised patient numbers.

According to health workers, a single doctor is now required to examine around 100 to 150 patients per day, far above international standards. Typically, a doctor is expected to see about 30 to 40 patients daily for quality care. In Kathmandu’s public hospitals, this workload is reportedly three to four times higher.

Due to the overwhelming patient load and time constraints, doctors are unable to spend sufficient time with each patient, raising concerns about the quality of care.

Meanwhile, private hospital services remain expensive, putting them out of reach for low- and middle-income citizens. Even basic consultations in private hospitals can cost thousands of rupees, forcing many people to rely on government facilities.

An official from the Health Services Department said that the issue cannot be resolved without expanding human resources, equipment, and infrastructure in public hospitals. “To reduce patient congestion, primary health centers and provincial hospitals must be made more effective,” he said.

Experts suggest that better implementation of health insurance programs, expansion of rural healthcare services, and an increase in the number of doctors are essential to manage the overwhelming patient load in Kathmandu’s government hospitals.

More images show crowds of patients at TU Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital, and National Trauma Center waiting for treatment.