KATHMANDU: Speakers at a national conference on healthcare law have stressed the need for clear and updated legislation to ensure social justice and address growing challenges in Nepal’s health sector.
The three-day conference, which began in Kathmandu on Friday, brought together legal experts, health professionals and policymakers to discuss gaps in existing healthcare laws and the need for reforms.
Speaking at the event, Acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla emphasized the importance of formulating laws that protect both patients and doctors.
She said the judiciary was working to repeal outdated laws in line with the spirit of Nepal’s Constitution.
Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Parashwar Dhungana, said the ministry was focusing on improving the language used in laws to make them clearer and easier for ordinary citizens to understand.
President of the Nepal Bar Association, Bijay Prasad Mishra, said the safety of health workers had already been legally guaranteed, adding that medical professionals must also deliver services responsibly.
Similarly, Nepal Medical Association President Anil Bikram Karki stressed the need for a new legal framework that would allow doctors to work safely without fear or intimidation.
President of the Policy Research Institute, Premraj Neupane, said the conference aimed to support the formulation of legal provisions needed to address problems in healthcare regulation and service delivery.
Professor at Kathmandu School of Law, Geeta Pathak Sangraula, said findings from the national demographic health survey had not yet been adequately reflected in existing laws.
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