Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, named after
Shukraraj Shastri
Shukra Raj Shastri (Nepali: ) (born Shukra Raj Joshi) (1894–24 January 1941) was a Nepalese intellectual and fighter for democracy who was executed by the autocratic Rana dynasty. He is one of the four martyrs of the Nepalese revolution that t ...
, commonly known as Teku Hospital, is a public hospital in Teku,
. It is the only hospital in Nepal especially designated for the treatment of
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and
infectious diseases
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
. The hospital was established in 1933. It has a 100-bed inpatient service. It has three ICU beds and six cabin beds. It is a national referral hospital which takes in patients referred from all over the country. It also provides training to medical students. Dr. Basudev Pandey is the current director of the hospital.
Isolation ward
An isolation ward was setup at the hospital with support from the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
during the
avian flu
Avian influenza, known informally as avian flu or bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. In June 2019, the
Epidemiology and Disease Control Division
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and risk factor, determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decision ...
sought help from the UN Health Agency in bringing the isolation ward up to standards. A team of international experts submitted a report of recommendations. After the start of the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, the hospital took to studying the report but was sceptical about being able to bring the ward into operation due to the cost involved and the difficulty in getting the work done under the public procurement procedures.
Coronavirus pandemic
Teku Hospital is the primary hospital in the treatment of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
coronavirus. The staff at the hospital were provided training and its six cabin beds were designated the makeshift isolation care units for handling suspected cases of the disease. It was criticised for its handling of the crisis after it emerged that the hospital had continued to discharge suspected patients before getting the test results despite the fact that the first and only confirmed patient of the disease had also been discharged one week before the test came back positive. Later, one Arab national who had been admitted suspected of carrying the disease fled the hospital. The Health Ministry said it would deploy police personnel to guard the patients.