Kathmandu, August 29
Nepal’s first President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, who was receiving treatment in Chandigarh, India, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Dr Yadav, who was Nepal’s President from 2008-2015, will have to undergo an operation to remove cancerous cells from his body–a procedure not available in Nepal’s hospitals, the former head of state says.
Dr Yadav, in an interview with Nagarik daily, said he went to his alma mater Chandigarh-based Jawaharlal Nehru Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, for a checkup after contracting urinary infection while he was home in Janakpur.
According to Dr Yadav, the hospital provided its services for free as he was Nepal’s former Head of state, and an alumnus.
“I received full support from the Nepali government during my stay in Chandigarh. The Embassy coordinated everything… I stayed at the guest house.. The only things I had to pay for was the flight ticket and tips for the service staff,” Dr Yadav told the paper.
Dr Yadav said doctors have advised him to opt for minimally-invasive surgery to remove his malignant tumour. The procedure is relatively new for India, but has been carried out in the West for 10-15 years, he said adding that this was the reason he wanted to go the US.
Meanwhile, the government on Monday decided to provide Rs 6 million to Dr Yadav as advance for his surgery, which is to take place at the Henry Ford centre in Detroit, Michigan. The operation is expected to cost around Rs 30 million.
