Health Care Foundation – Nepal (HECAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to ordinary Nepalis, with a particular focus on kidney disease. It was founded to address gaps in Nepal’s healthcare system by providing appropriate healthcare directly to communities in both rural and urban areas.
Provide accessible preventive and curative healthcare.
Provide theoretical and practical training for medical staff, nurses, and students.
Conduct community health promotion and awareness activities.
Support underserved communities through health camps, mobile hospitals, and blood donation camps.
Provide institutional support during natural disasters, epidemics, and accidents.
Operate ambulance services equipped for emergency treatment.
Establish well-equipped and appropriately managed health centers.
National Kidney Center (NKC) — flagship kidney-care and hemodialysis service.
Health Care Waste Management Program — focused on safe medical-waste management.
Emergency Medical Response Program.
Nagarkot Community Health Center — primary healthcare services for the Nagarkot area.
Health publications and awareness activities for public health education.
The National Kidney Center (NKC) is HECAF’s flagship kidney-care and hemodialysis service, established in 1997 to provide quality dialysis at affordable rates in Nepal. The center was established with support from German volunteers and well-wishers, who provided refurbished dialysis machines, a water treatment unit, and technical training for operations and maintenance teams.
From its modest beginnings, NKC has grown into Nepal’s largest hemodialysis service provider and is the only facility in Nepal providing hemodialysis to patients living with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV. It provides free dialysis to senior citizens above 75, with Government of Nepal support, and free or subsidized care to patients with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, and those who are financially disadvantaged.
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. Its establishment was made possible through support from German volunteers and well-wishers, who contributed refurbished dialysis machines, a water treatment unit, and 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 in 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 Nepal’s largest hemodialysis service provider. It is described as the sole facility in Nepal providing hemodialysis to patients living with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV-populations often unable to access dialysis elsewhere due to infection-control requirements.
Reported patient-capacity figures vary by source and year, reflecting NKC’s expansion:
Earlier company-profile sources cite an original capacity of around 30 patients per day at the Kathmandu center.
A more recent business-directory source reports capacity of up to 130 patients per day across the network.
A November 2025 news report states that the Banasthali facility runs three dialysis sessions daily, treating up to 165 patients per day, with most patients attending three times weekly for life.
Who NKC Serves — Affordability and Free Care
NKC’s materials and independent reporting emphasize its commitment to affordability and access:
Free dialysis for senior citizens above 75 years, with support from the Government of Nepal.
Free or subsidized dialysis for patients with Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, and those who are financially disadvantaged.
The Government of Nepal reimburses NKC a fixed amount per dialysis session for eligible patients. November 2025 reporting put this at approximately USD 18 per session, while NKC identified payment delays from the Ministry of Health and Population as an ongoing operational challenge.
Notable Recognition and Patient Population
Recent research and journalism highlight NKC’s role as a referral center for two key patient groups: long-term local dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease and a growing number of returning Nepali migrant workers diagnosed with kidney failure after years of heat-exposed labor in Gulf countries. A 2025 PLOS One study on hemodialysis patients’ quality of life was conducted at NKC’s Banasthali and Gaushala units, highlighting its role as a major kidney-care research site in Nepal.
NKC expanded from 5 to 55 dialysis machines, increasing access to quality renal care.
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 began providing free dialysis to eligible patients aged 75 and above through government-supported reimbursement. The dialysis cost was approximately NPR 2,500 per session at the time.
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.
