KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary and former Health Minister Pradeep Paudel has drawn the government’s attention to the disruption of OPD services in public hospitals during public holidays, stating that patients are facing unnecessary hardship.
Taking to social media, Paudel urged the government to adopt policies that expand, rather than restrict, access to healthcare services. He stressed that the closure of outpatient department (OPD) services on public holidays has caused significant inconvenience to the general public.
“Suspension of OPD services in government hospitals has not only limited access to healthcare but also increased the financial burden on patients,” Paudel said.
Recalling reforms initiated during his tenure, he noted that steps had been taken to ensure continuity of services even on holidays by providing incentive allowances to doctors and healthcare workers working extra hours.
“We had started extending service hours by operating OPD services in two shifts, considering the growing patient load in government hospitals,” he said.
Paudel also claimed that the process of recruiting around 2,500 additional health workers to address manpower shortages in hospitals had been brought to its final stage during his tenure. He emphasized the need to continue those reform initiatives.
Stressing that healthcare is a sensitive and essential service, Paudel said the government should focus on expanding access rather than depriving citizens of basic medical care.
He argued that only by ensuring easy, affordable, and quality healthcare services can the overall health system be made more citizen-friendly. He urged the current government to continue past reform efforts and make health services more effective and accessible.
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