Kathmandu, April 22 -- Burn victims seeking care at Bir Hospital and their family members often ask doctors why they are being charged for treatment, even though the health minister had declared that impoverished patients would get care free of cost.

Doctors attending to the patients always give the same answer: they will stop charging when the government starts reimbursing the hospital for free care of burn victims.

"We provide free surgery to burn victims from the hospital's charity," said Dr Peeyush Dahal, chief of the Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit at Bir Hospital. "We also heard of the new government scheme to provide free treatment to impoverished burn victims, but we haven't received anything."

Bir Hospital is among the eight ho...