BHAKTAPUR: Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakash Man Singh has said that prevention is better than cure.
While laying the foundation stone today for the second phase of the Nepal-Korea Friendship Municipal Hospital here today, Minister Singh stressed on healthy lifestyle.
The hospital is operated by the Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, and is being extended with the financial support of the South Korean government.
During the event, Member of the House of Representatives Durlabh Thapa said that this hospital, which was established as the first city hospital in Nepal, should be developed so that it can treat patients not only from Bhaktapur but from all over the country.
Ambassador of South Korea to Nepal, Taeyong Park recalled that the Korean government has been providing support to Nepal's health sector before and said that since the establishment of this hospital, Korea's support has been continuous.
The Korean government has supported the construction of the building with 9.5 million US dollars. The Korean government has provided expert doctors for this hospital at its own expense.
Mayor of the city and chairman of the programme, Surendra Shrestha, said that the facility-equipped building of the second phase, which is about to be built with the help of the Korean government will assist the treatment facilities.
Bijaya Krishna Shrestha, deputy mayor of the municipality, said that the support provided by South Korea to the hospital is a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
The executive director of the hospital, Dr. D K Raushan, informed about the services that the hospital is currently providing and the services that will be expanded in the future. He said that the new building will be completed in the next two years and it will be easy to expand services.