KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population has directed all hospitals and health institutions to continue operating Outpatient Department (OPD) services on Sundays to ensure patients are not affected by the government’s recent two-day weekend policy.
Issuing a press release, the Ministry clarified that while the Council of Ministers’ decision to grant public holidays on both Saturday and Sunday—effective from April 5 following the Gazette notification—is in place, essential health services must remain uninterrupted. To maintain effective service delivery, the Ministry has introduced a new operational guideline for healthcare facilities.
According to Ministry Co-Spokesperson Dr. Samir Kumar Adhikari, hospitals are instructed to manage their Sunday OPD services based on their specific workload and available human resources. To compensate for the Sunday shift, hospital administrations are required to ensure that staff members still receive two days of leave per week by providing an alternative day off in addition to Saturday.
The Ministry further specified that in cases where immediate leave is not feasible due to service demands, hospitals must arrange for substitute leave at a later date. Provincial hospitals have also been urged to implement similar arrangements, with the Ministry requesting necessary coordination from the respective provincial health ministries to standardize the service flow across the country.
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