KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene is preparing to reactivate the Health Worker and Health Institution Security Coordination Committee, which has remained largely inactive for years, in response to the growing number of attacks on health workers and incidents of vandalism at health facilities.
The ministry said the process has begun to regularly operate the committee, which was established under Section 5 of the Health Worker and Health Institution Security Act, to address security-related issues affecting health workers and medical institutions.
The decision comes as attacks on health personnel and damage to hospital property have increased in recent months.
Under the law, the committee is responsible for approving and implementing security plans and programmes for health workers and health institutions, coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other relevant agencies, recommending security policies to the government, investigating or facilitating investigations into incidents that threaten the safety of health workers and institutions, and assisting with related inquiries.
The committee is also tasked with ensuring the implementation of court-ordered compensation in cases covered by the Act.
As stipulated by the Act, the committee will be chaired by a 12th-level ministry official designated by the ministry’s secretary, while the head of the concerned division will serve as vice-chairperson.
Its members include representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal Medical Council, Nepal Nursing Council, Nepal Medical Association, Nepal Health Professional Association, Nepal Ayurveda Medical Association, Nepal Nursing Association, and the Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal (APHIN). A gazetted second-class officer or equivalent designated by the ministry will serve as member-secretary.
The move comes in the wake of the recent assault on a doctor at Narayani Hospital in Birgunj, which has intensified calls for stronger enforcement of legal protections for health workers. The ministry said reactivating the committee is expected to help address immediate security concerns while advancing necessary policy decisions.
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