Health Ministry forms three-member high-level committee

Kathmandu: The government has formed a high-level committee to present a study report to end the trend of long waits to undergo treatment and surgery in government health facilities.

With the ministerial decision, the Ministry of Health and Population on Friday formed a three-member committee under the coordination of Additional Health Secretary, Dr. Dipendra Raman Singh. Chief of Quality Standard and Regulation Division, Madan Kumar Upadhyay, is a member of the committee while senior public health administrative Dr. Guna Nidhi Sharma the member-secretary.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, after receiving the complaints that the general people were facing hassles in getting health services at government hospitals, had directed Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Yadav to take necessary steps for its long-term solution.

The committee has the mandate to study the situation of waiting for a long to get a turn for surgery in government hospitals, referrals, quality of health services and procedural hassles in the Kathmandu Valley. The committee has been directed to prepare the details of the reasons behind the delay in surgery, the number of specialist doctors providing existing surgical services in the hospitals and their daily service.

The report would also detail the lab and radiology services of the hospitals, patient pressure, human resources, means and resources and condition of other infrastructures.

As per the mandate, the committee has been asked to submit short-term, mid-term and long-term action plans for effective health management within two weeks.