Bharatpur Hospital in Nepal faces maternity bed shortage

A shortage of maternity beds at Bharatpur Hospital in Nepal has forced the facility to provide postpartum care on floor mattresses during the peak childbirth season from the second half of Asar to the end of Bhadra. The hospital, which normally operates 111 maternity‑related beds, sees 40‑50 deliveries each day and serves women from Chitwan and neighboring districts.

Senior obstetrician and associate professor Dr. Ram Prasad Sapkota said the surge is linked to the country's major festivals, Dashain and Tihar, when many families return home, increasing the number of births. While the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and specialist staff are well regarded, expanding bed capacity for the few‑month surge is difficult. In the last fiscal year the hospital delivered 7,853 women, including 4,235 normal births and 3,540 Caesarean sections.