Health Ministry forms three-member high-level committee

KATHMANDU: The government has formed a high-level committee to address the long wait times for treatment and surgery in government health facilities.

Following a ministerial decision, the Ministry of Health and Population established a three-member committee on Friday, led by Additional Health Secretary Dr. Dipendra Raman Singh.

The committee includes Madan Kumar Upadhyay, Chief of the Quality Standard and Regulation Division, and senior public health administrator Dr. Guna Nidhi Sharma, who serves as the member-secretary.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, in response to complaints about the difficulties faced by the general public in accessing health services at government hospitals, directed Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Yadav to take necessary steps for a long-term solution.

The committee’s mandate includes studying the prolonged wait times for surgery, referral processes, quality of health services, and procedural hassles in Kathmandu Valley government hospitals.

The committee has been tasked with identifying the reasons for delays in surgery, detailing the number of specialist doctors providing surgical services, and outlining their daily service capacity.

Additionally, the report will cover the hospitals’ lab and radiology services, patient load, human resources, available means and resources, and the condition of other infrastructures.

The committee has been directed to submit short-term, mid-term, and long-term action plans for effective health management within two weeks.