Kathmandu, Feb. 8 -- Treatment for newborn children at a neonatal intensive care unit costs over Rs33,000 in tertiary care public hospitals, a study carried out by the Nepal Health Research Council shows.

The Ministry of Health and Population, however, reimburses only Rs8,000 to the hospitals that agreed to provide free treatment to newborns.

Tertiary hospitals are advanced health facilities providing specialised care.

According to an 'Economic Cost Analysis of NICU in Tertiary Care Centers in Nepal', carried out in four Kathmandu-based public and private tertiary care centres-Kanti Children's Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, HAMS Hospital and International Friendship Children Hospital-it costs Rs47,975 per person on a...