Kathmandu December 19. Bharatpur Hospital has been upgraded to the status of a ‘central’ hospital, but it has failed to make reform in its physical infrastructure, human resources management, equipment and services suitable for its status. The 600-bed capacity health facility is currently suffering from a lack of doctors, health workers, and employees. Information officer at the Hospital, Liladhar Poudel said the number of positions for doctors, nurses, health workers, and employees is very few in relation to its capacity. According to him, there are a total of 175 allotted posts in the hospital but only 145 are occupied. Although there are 40 posts for the doctor, only 26 are occupied. Likewise, the number of health workers is inadequate and the paramedics from the Hospital Development Committee have been called to help out. Four hundred and eight Committee employees are made to work at the hospital. Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Shreeram Tiwari said they have proposed 757 new posts for addressing the problem of shortage of human resources in the hospital. Bharatpur Hospital is a big health facility in Chitwan and more than 350,000 patients come here for treatment annually. It has also once handled 2,200 patients through its out-patient department on a single day. It is stated that patients from 19 districts come to the hospital seeking various services. The hospital has 19 departments. Bharatpur Hospital is considered second after the Paropakar Maternity Hospital in Kathmandu in terms of the number of deliveries. Thirteen thousand five hundred forty-five women gave birth at the hospital in the last fiscal year.