Health Care Foundation – Nepal (HECAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to ordinary Nepalis, with a particular focus on kidney disease.
HECAF's founding rationale was a response to gaps in Nepal's healthcare system: government efforts alone were seen as insufficient to meet the country's healthcare needs, and a group of like-minded professionals felt the need for a non-governmental organization that could deliver accessible, appropriate care directly to communities, in both rural and urban areas.
Who HECAF Is
Health Care Foundation – Nepal (HECAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to ordinary Nepalis, with a particular focus on kidney disease. HECAF's own materials describe the founding rationale as a response to gaps in Nepal's healthcare system: government efforts alone were seen as insufficient to meet the country's healthcare needs, and a group of like-minded professionals felt the need for a non-governmental organization that could deliver accessible, appropriate care directly to communities, in both rural and urban areas.
• Provide preventive and curative health services to the general public in an accessible and appropriate manner.
• Deliver theoretical and practical training to medical staff, including nurses and students.
• Carry out health promotion and awareness activities at the community level.
• Provide basic healthcare to underserved communities through health camps, mobile hospitals, and blood donation camps.
• Provide institutional support to people affected by natural disasters, epidemics, and accidents.
• Operate ambulance services are equipped for on-the-spot emergency treatment.
• Establish well-equipped, well-managed health centers appropriate to the needs of the time.
Beyond the National Kidney Center, HECAF has operated under several program areas over the years, according to public sources:
• National Kidney Center (NKC) — flagship hemodialysis and kidney-care service.
• Health Care Waste Management Program — pioneering safe medical-waste handling (see Section 4).
• Emergency Medical Response Program.
• Nagarkot Community Health Center — a primary care clinic serving the Nagarkot area (see Section 2.6).
• Health magazine / publication activities for public health education.
The National Kidney Center (NKC) is HECAF's flagship hemodialysis and kidney-care service, established with support from German volunteers and well-wishers, who contributed refurbished dialysis machines and a water treatment unit, along with technical training for the operations and maintenance teams.
From its modest beginnings, NKC grew into the largest hemodialysis service provider in Nepal and the only ISO 9001:2015 certified dialysis center in the country. It is the sole facility in Nepal providing hemodialysis to patients who are also living with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV.
NKC provides free dialysis to senior citizens above 75 years of age, in coordination with support from the Government of Nepal, and extends free or subsidized dialysis to patients infected with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV, and to financially disadvantaged patients.
National Kidney Center (NKC) — Founding and Mission
The National Kidney Center was established in 1997 with support from HECAF, with the stated aim of providing quality dialysis services at an affordable rate to people in Nepal. The center's establishment was made possible with support from German volunteers and well-wishers, who contributed refurbished dialysis machines and a water treatment unit, along with technical training for the operations and maintenance teams.
Key figures credited with NKC's founding and ongoing support include Dr. Rishi Kumar Kafle, a pioneering Nepali nephrologist who had earlier helped establish dialysis services and the Nephrology Unit at Bir Hospital (1988 and 1990 respectively) before co-founding NKC. Mrs. Beate Vogt of Goslar, Germany, has served as Honorary Advisor to NKC, leading efforts to collect, coordinate, and dispatch dialysis machines and other essential equipment from Germany. Mr. Peter Reinemann, Mr. Juergen Schaal, and Mrs. Karin Mitschke are also credited with the voluntary technical setup and installation of the center's original equipment.
Growth Into Nepal's Largest Dialysis Provider
From its modest beginnings, NKC grew into the largest hemodialysis service provider in Nepal and the only ISO-certified dialysis center in the country. It is described as the sole facility in Nepal providing hemodialysis to patients who are also living with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV — populations who are often unable to access dialysis elsewhere due to infection-control requirements.
Reported patient-capacity figures vary by source and by year, reflecting NKC's expansion over time:
• Earlier company-profile sources cite an original capacity of around 30 patients per day at the Kathmandu center.
• A more recent business-directory source describes capacity of up to 130 patients per day across the network.
• A November 2025 news report describes the Banasthali facility running three dialysis sessions a day, treating as many as 165 patients daily, with most patients attending three times weekly for life.
Who NKC Serves — Affordability and Free Care
NKC's own materials and independent reporting describe a strong affordability and access mission:
• Free dialysis is provided to senior citizens above 75 years of age, in coordination with support from the Government of Nepal.
• Free or subsidized dialysis is extended to patients infected with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV, and to financially disadvantaged patients.
• The Government of Nepal reimburses NKC a fixed amount per dialysis session for eligible patients; recent press coverage (November 2025) reported this reimbursement at roughly USD 18 per session, with the center describing payment delays from the Ministry of Health and Population as an ongoing operational challenge.
Notable Recognition and Patient Population
Recent independent research and journalism highlight NKC's role as a referral center for two distinct, important patient groups: long-term local dialysis patients managing chronic kidney disease, and a growing population of returning Nepali migrant workers diagnosed with kidney failure after years of heat-exposed labor in Gulf countries. A 2025 academic study (PLOS One) on quality of life among hemodialysis patients was conducted at NKC's Banasthali and Gaushala units, underscoring the center's role as a major referral site for kidney care research in Nepal.
Dr. Rishi Kumar Kafle helps establish dialysis services at Bir Hospital, Kathmandu — an early milestone in Nepal's renal care history.
Dr. Kafle founds the Nephrology Unit at Bir Hospital, marking a historic advancement in the country's renal care capabilities.
HECAF is founded by Dr. Rishi Kumar Kafle, Er. Mahesh Nakarmi, and like-minded colleagues, in response to gaps in Nepal's healthcare access. (Some sources instead cite 1997 as HECAF's founding year — to be confirmed.)
NKC is established in Kathmandu under HECAF, with support from German volunteers who contributed refurbished dialysis machines, a water treatment unit, and technical training — beginning operations as Nepal's dedicated, affordable hemodialysis center.
NKC becomes the first hospital in Nepal to disinfect health care waste generated during dialysis using autoclave (non-burn) technology, under the leadership of Er. Mahesh Nakarmi.
Honorary Advisor Beate Vogt visits to officially reinstate services at the renovated Nagarkot Community Health Center and contributes vital equipment and supplies.
NKC's Executive Director and the Netherlands-based NephcEurope organize the first Nepalese Kidney Health Care Think Tank, convening stakeholders from across Nepal's kidney-care sector.
