KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population has issued a circular directing 34 hospitals and health facilities to operate Out-Patient Department (OPD) services on public holidays.
Ministry spokesperson Dr. Prakash Budhathoki confirmed that the circular was dispatched to these hospitals, urging them to ensure that OPD services remain available on public holidays.
The directive follows a letter sent by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to the Ministry of Health and Population, instructing it to guarantee that hospitals provide all services, including OPD, even on public holidays.
Dr. Budhathoki mentioned that the circular has been sent to major hospitals, including Bir Hospital, Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, Bheri Hospital, National Tuberculosis Centre, Koshi Hospital, Nepal Eye Hospital, Kanti Children’s Hospital, Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, and Patan Academy of Health Sciences, among others.
A special provision on public service delivery, cited in a notice published by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Nepal Gazette, mandates that hospitals must provide all categories of services, including OPD, even on public holidays.
This government directive was issued in response to public complaints that many hospitals and health facilities were not delivering the full range of health services on public holidays.
Comment