With temperatures falling throughout Nepal, there has been a surge in the number of burn injuries reported in Kathmandu Valley hospitals, causing many health facilities to add beds and resources to accommodate this influx. The Nepal Cleft and Burn Centre at Kirtipur Hospital, one of the country’s primary burn treatment facilities, recently added eight additional beds after all 35 beds in its burn unit were filled. Even so, every intensive care bed remains occupied.
Doctors working on the front line say the situation is repeating every winter, but this year feels particularly heavy. “Burn victims keep coming every hour,” remarked senior consultant Dr Shankar Man Rai, noting that while additional general beds can be arranged, expanding ICU capacity is far more difficult due to equipment, staffing and cost constraints. Hospital administrators across the region are facing similar challenges; while they have available space for general patients, many facilities are still dealing with inadequate numbers of intensive care unit (ICU) beds.
The increase in the number of burn injuries has occurred in conjunction with an increase in the frequency and intensity of extremely cold weather; consequently, schools have been closed due to fog conditions throughout the Tarai, which has caused families to rely on the heat produced by open flame events as their primary source of warmth. In the hills, snowfall continues, and in the valley, temperatures have dipped to record lows for the year. Kathmandu dropped to 4.9°C on Wednesday, nearly two degrees lower than the previous day. For many households, especially those without insulation or heating, burning wood or using makeshift heaters becomes the only option, but it also increases risk.
Doctors warn that a moment of negligence—sitting too close to the flame, wearing loose clothing, or leaving children unattended—can lead to life-altering injury. “We should keep distance from fire and take special care of children and the elderly,” advised consultant plastic surgeon Dr Ishwar Lohani. Hospitals emphasize prevention, knowing that once the burn is severe, survival depends not only on the injury but also on timely access to specialized care.
Despite the urgency, Nepal’s burn treatment system remains strained. An earlier government pledge promised free treatment for poor burn victims and reimbursement to designated hospitals. Some facilities have claimed they have not received any reimbursements and that patients are being left to pay for the high costs of care. Treatment for burns is costly, recovery from injuries is long, and dealing with complications is frequent. Hospitals can only treat minor burn injuries; however, critical burn injuries require specially trained staff and sophisticated equipment and will require patient care for an extended period of time. The above-mentioned resources are the areas that Nepal has historically underfunded.
The country of Nepal has one of the highest rates of burn injuries in South Asia. WHO data indicates that burns account for an estimated 5% of all disability, while Nepali national estimates are approximately 55,000 new burn injuries per year. It has been reported that 1,500-2,000 people die from burn injuries every year, and the majority of these deaths happen in rural areas that do not have access to treatment and have a low level of awareness of burn injury prevention. Kirtipur Hospital, for example, sees about 800 patients with burn injuries each year; therefore, these kinds of injuries appear to be very common.
Medical professionals report that hospitals can only treat a limited number of patients in a specific area. Adding sources of prevention, supporting people with awareness, and providing cold weather support are important aspects in preventing burn injuries. Providing warm clothing rather than firewood, developing emergency referral systems, and building stronger provincial burn injury treatment centers are some future goals that could help relieve excess pressure during high-volume periods throughout the winter months, according to doctors.