United Mission Hospital Tansen, Nepal
Tansen / Nepal
Why Tansen Hospital matters
Despite some recent economic progress Nepal remains one of the poorer nations in Asia. Nationwide, there is one doctor per 1,300 people and one hospital bed per 3,000 population.
However, these limited resources are primarily concentrated in the cities, especially in Kathmandu, while people in rural areas have to travel long distances to find a doctor. Patients travel many hours, or even days, across steep mountainous terrain, to reach Tansen Hospital, which serves the rural population of west central Nepal. They know that they will get good care once they arrive, and this reputation has led to a considerable growth in patient numbers for Tansen Hospital over the years.
Today, the Outpatient Department treats an average of 400 patients every day and about 2,000 babies are born per year. Most of the existing buildings are outdated and unable to handle this demand. Few have been built to sufficient seismic safety standards.
The design
Article 25 have been working with United Mission Nepal to design masterplan proposals for the future development of every hospital department from diagnostics to surgery to infectious diseases. From this we developed two masterplan options for a 200-bed hospital. Both options can be built in two phases while keeping all current hospital functions in operation during construction of the new facilities.
As Nepal has very high seismic risks the design of the foundations and structural frame is an important aspect of the design which needs to be sufficiently robust not only to stand up to an earthquake but also to allow the hospital to treat patients the day after a seismic event.
The impact
Once built, Tansen Hospital will have comfortable spaces that are well ventilated and suffused with natural light – giving the people of central Nepal a place to get well and the doctors the right facilities to deliver excellent healthcare.
PROJECT TYPE: Hospital
PROJECT PARTNERS: United Mission Nepal
ENGINEERING PARTNERS: Hoare Lea (M&E)
STATUS: In design development
