KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balen Shah has directed authorities to immediately advance plans to establish well-equipped burn treatment centers in all seven provinces and strengthen burn care facilities at major government hospitals.
The directive was issued during a meeting with vice-chancellors of health science academies at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday.
Prime Minister Shah instructed officials to ensure that patients with severe burn injuries receive timely and quality treatment through effective coordination among the federal and provincial governments and concerned health institutions.
He said the government has placed quality, efficient and citizen-friendly healthcare services among its top priorities, stressing the need to improve hospital cleanliness, service delivery, digital technology adoption and good governance in the health sector.
The prime minister also directed authorities to effectively implement the provision requiring private hospitals to provide at least 10 percent of their outpatient department (OPD) services at concessional rates for poor, vulnerable and economically disadvantaged citizens.
He further suggested that successful practices developed by one health institution should be shared with others to improve service delivery nationwide.
Shah also said the government would coordinate with relevant agencies to resolve issues related to the encroachment of land owned by health science academies in accordance with the law.
During the meeting, the vice-chancellors proposed measures to improve the quality of medical education, strengthen healthcare delivery, enhance hospital sanitation, expand specialist services, improve health workforce management, promote research and develop infrastructure.
They also briefed the prime minister on efforts to advance digital transformation in healthcare, implement hospital information management systems and address the impact of land encroachment on the institutional development of several academies.
The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Nabisaman Singh Pradhan, vice-chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences; Prof. Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra of Rapti Academy of Health Sciences; Prof. Dr. Narayan Singh Gurung of Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences; Dr. Smriti Kafle, vice-chancellor of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences; and Dr. Bibek Acharya, vice-chancellor of the National Academy of Medical Sciences.
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