Former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, a senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), was admitted to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on Sunday after developing a heart-related problem, his private secretariat has confirmed. News of the veteran politician's hospitalisation quickly drew attention across the capital's political circles, prompting an immediate show of solidarity from senior figures, with CPN-UML Chairman and fellow former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli visiting the hospital the same day to inquire about Khanal's health. While some early media reports portrayed the situation as more serious than it was, the secretariat, speaking through Milan Upadhyay, described the ailment as minor. A separate report indicated that preparations are already underway to discharge the former prime minister in the coming days.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Who: Jhalanath Khanal, former Prime Minister and senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP)
- What: Admitted to HAMS Hospital with a heart-related problem, described by his secretariat as minor
- When: Sunday
- Where: HAMS Hospital, Kathmandu
- Notable visitor: CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
- Outlook: Preparations are reportedly underway to discharge him shortly
Admission to HAMS Hospital and Early Reports
Khanal was taken to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu on Sunday for the treatment of a heart-related problem, according to Rato Pati. The admission of the former prime minister, who remains a prominent voice in Nepali politics, became a major talking point through the day, with newsrooms reporting on his condition as updates filtered in from the hospital and his private secretariat.
Details surrounding his health varied in the initial hours. Some media accounts suggested a serious cardiac event, prompting concern among the leader's supporters and well-wishers. His private secretariat subsequently stepped in to set the record straight, confirming that Khanal was undergoing treatment but stressing that the problem was a minor one. The clarification, delivered through Milan Upadhyay, served as the first official word on the former prime minister's condition and quickly became the reference point for later reporting.
Health developments concerning senior political figures are followed intensely in Nepal, where the wellbeing of veteran leaders often carries significance beyond personal concern, touching on questions of party leadership and political continuity. Sunday's events were no exception, as attention turned to HAMS Hospital within hours of the admission.
KP Sharma Oli Visits Ailing Khanal
Among the first senior leaders to respond was CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who visited HAMS Hospital on Sunday to inquire about Khanal's health condition, as reported by Nagarik News. The chairman's visit, made on the same day the former prime minister was admitted, underscored the urgency with which the news was received in political circles.
The hospital meeting brought together two former prime ministers and long-standing figures of Nepal's communist movement. Khanal, a senior NCP leader, and Oli, who chairs the CPN-UML, have each held the country's highest executive office, and their paths have crossed repeatedly over decades of left politics. Oli's decision to personally visit the hospital was a visible gesture of respect and solidarity toward the ailing leader, offering reassurance at a moment when unverified accounts about Khanal's condition were circulating widely.
Secretariat Downplays Severity of Condition
The most authoritative account of Khanal's health has come from his own private secretariat. Speaking through Milan Upadhyay, the secretariat said the issue was "a minor heart-related problem" and explicitly stated that it was "not as serious as reported in some media." The statement appeared intended to counter alarmist narratives and to assure the public that the former prime minister was not in a critical state.
The intervention also highlights the role that official channels play when senior leaders fall ill. By designating Upadhyay as the point of communication, Khanal's team ensured that a single, consistent message reached the public, limiting the scope for speculation while the veteran leader remained under doctors' care at the Kathmandu hospital.
Discharge Preparations Underway
Nepal Press reported that Khanal was undergoing treatment after a heart attack and that preparations were underway to discharge him by tomorrow morning. If that plan holds, the former prime minister's stay in hospital will prove brief, and the reported discharge timeline suggests his condition stabilised quickly enough for physicians to consider sending him home.
Taken together, the discharge preparations and the secretariat's description of the ailment as minor point toward a positive outlook. Rather than an escalating medical emergency, the picture emerging from HAMS Hospital is of a senior leader receiving treatment for a manageable heart-related problem, with his return home reportedly on the near horizon.
For now, Khanal remains at HAMS Hospital, where he is being treated for the heart-related condition his team insists is minor. With Oli among the senior figures who have visited and a discharge reportedly planned for the coming days, the immediate concern over the former prime minister's health appears to be easing. Further updates are expected as his treatment progresses.
