Mental Hospital Lagankhel
Mental Health Nepal
Hisorical overview
Psychiatric out-patient service was started for the first time in Nepal in Bir Hospital in 1961AD by the country’s primary psychiatrist- the late Dr Bishnu Prasad Sharma. In 1965, a 5 bed in-patient psychiatric unit was created within Bir Hospital. In 1984, the psychiatric unit of Bir Hospital was separated and shifted to Langankhel in the old Patan district hospital building. At this site the first and (at present) only mental hospital in the country was built. New building |
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| construction was started in BS 2055 (1997AD) and the building was competed in BS 2060 (2003AD). Total construction budget was 20 million rupees from the Ministry of Health. For the last four years a hospital development board has been meeting to discuss further improvements. The mental hospital is a 50-bedded hospital, currently running 45 beds with a plan to run 50 beds in the future. The services are mainly used by middle and lower social class patients. The hospital admits around 750-800 patients in a year and sees about 23,000 outpatients (including follow-ups). The hospital contributes to the mental health care of severely mentally ill patients. In the future, the hospital could play an important role in training staff about the process of implementing mental health services in primary health care. Additionally it could run post-graduate courses in psychiatry. |
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