Hospital Emergency Department of Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital has been providing services to more than 10,000 patients a year. The department treats wide range of patients, as it serves acute care for all kind of patients including trauma victims. The Department of Emergency is one of the major gateways to the all departments. Dhulikhel hospital having wide catchment area, the spectrum of cases coming to Emergency is also wide. With the responsibilities, big challenges are also present. The emergency team has been putting best effort to prove that Emergency Departments should be a centre of excellence.
Dhulikhel hospital has been providing 24 hour emergency services from the year of its establishment. The original "Emergency Room" at Dhulikhel Hospital was a two-bedded facility, and there was no physician designated only for Emergency. Now we have a team of qualified doctors, paramedics, nurses and supporting staffs. Almost all patients arrive in department without getting pre-hospital care. They come by other mode of transportation rather than by ambulance. In order to address this, we have established a pre-hospital medical service, the Dhulikhel Emergency Medical Services (DEMS). From May of 2013 we have been providing Ambulance Service staffed with trained Paramedics, emergency drugs and equipments. People are getting this service without extra economic burden. Till date more than 500 patients have benefitted from the services.
Portable X-ray equipment, an advanced 128 slice CT scanner, bedside ultrasound, a fully equipped emergency lab and online computer access to patient's digital x-ray report have also ensured quality services.
In order to impart proper management techniques to treating doctors, we have been offering "Emergency Room Trauma Course" (ERTC) since 2012 in collaboration with International Commit Red Cross (ICRC). Doctors from our department play dual role of emergency care provider and general practitioners. They go to outreach centers routinely to provide medical care for those who are in desperate need. Victims of gender violence get free counseling and treatment in this department, as part of Nepal Government's policy to provide this service through "One stop crisis management" project.
Features of our ER: