KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli-led government is about to start the third year in office in February. The staff adjustment process the government initiated in Dec. 24, 2018 is still to get pace in the offices under the Ministry of Health and Population Nepal.
When the world is alarmed at the spread of coronavirus the service holders in the ministry of health and population are still running to various desks to be picked for the places of their choices.
Last Sunday, the office of Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, the spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population was crowded with adjustment complainants.
Most of the staff there were trying to figure out where they could be adjusted and which place could be most convenient for them. Although the government promised to finish the adjustment of civil servants within last fiscal year, the people are still in search of the places of their convenience impacting their service delivery alarmingly.
The health-workers, on the other hand, are not in the mood of effective delivery as they are more concerned about securing the convenient place for them.
“ I opted a place before and now I am told there is no vacant seat there, I complained again and now it’s uncertain where I will be.” Said a health worker who had been at the ministry to get details about the prospective places.
Spokesperson Mahendra Shrestha says that the adjustment process is at the final stage now.
Expressing their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision of adjustment, 8000 health practitioners had registered their complaints at the Ministry. Spokesperson Shrestha admits that they have been able to listen and act for only 3000 of them so far. “Out of remaining 5000, we are likely to address the concerns expressed by only 1000 more now, we won’t be able to listen to the rest 4000.” Shrestha said to Khabarhub.
According to Spokesperson Shrestha, 4000 health-workers have asked to get shifted or adjusted to the urban and accessible places instead of asking them to provide service in the remote areas.
Shrestha thinks their demand is not addressable for two reasons: firstly, the health centers at the remote part also need someone to provide service to the beneficiaries there; secondly, the places the health-workers have chosen to be recruited are already overstaffed.
“Most of the complaints are from the Assistant Health Worker, Health Assistant, Assistant Nurse Midwife, Staff Nurse, Vaidya, Kaviraj, Lab Technicians etc.” Says spokesperson Shrestha, “ most of them want to be in urban cities like Kathmandu, but those areas are already overstaffed.” Shrestha pointed out the reason for the inability to address their complaints.
Province hospital at the verge of closure due to adjustment dilemma!
In case of staff adjustment most of the health workers are adjusted to local levels. However, the haphazard adjustment process executed without enough consultation of local needs and expectations have made the case complicated as some places are sans service providers whereas others have more than necessary.
Due to lack of enough preparation and consideration about the service delivery status and delivery requirement at local, provincial and federal level, some health centers at local levels are sans health workers.
Failure to provide required number of health workers has led some hospitals under provinces to the verge of closure.
The health officials are aware of the issue, yet, it seems they are still unable to act aptly.
“While making decisions on adjustment, we sent all health staffs to various places at local levels as a result even the anesthetist, staff nurse have reached local levels.” he said to Khabarhub yet he hinted at the complication resulted by it saying, “but unfortunately, the office they are deployed do not have the tools required for the service delivery whereas the province hospitals which are somehow better equipped are at the verge of closure due to the lack of manpower.”
What type of problems will be addressed?
Spokesperson Shrestha said that the concerns expressed only by the health practitioners who have opted for the places which have some vacant positions there can be addressed.
He added that the ones adjusted at local levels but unable to provide services due to lack of equipment or the infrastructure there can be readjusted in province hospitals that have both equipment and infrastructure suitable for such services.
“The health workers are at the local health facilities but their demand is in the province hospitals, we are working to address it,” Shrestha added.
Most of the rural municipalities in remote areas sans health workers!
Another genuine problem resulted from the haphazard employee adjustment is the scarcity of service providers in remote areas.
Citing the clauses that let the employees choose the place of their convenience, most of them chose the hometowns or the urban areas. Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of General Administration prepared and published the adjustment list in an unscientific way. As a result, some places got more than their capacity whereas some few in the remote areas got no service providers at all.
In most of the rural municipalities, the posts like assistant nurse midwife (ANM) are lying vacant.
Some rural municipalities which have the post of Assistant Nurse Midwife are:
- Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality, Manang
- Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality, Manang
- Basbariya Rural Municipality, Parsa
- Parsa Rural Municipality, Parsa
- Saipal Rural Municipality, Bajhang
- Adanchuli Rural Municipality, Humla
- Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality, Dolpa
- Bahragauin Mukti Chhetra Rural Municipality, Mustang
Thus, as most of the health workers prefer the urban areas, the posts lying in the rural areas of Manang, Mustang, Dolpa, Parsa, Humla and Bajhang are without the service providers like assistant nurse-midwife.
In Manang alone 15 posts of ANMs in Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality and 5 posts in Narpa Bhumi Rural Municipality are lying vacant.
Similarly, 3 out of 3 ANM posts of Saipal Rural Municipality, Bajhang are still unoccupied.
The aforementioned rural municipalities of Humla, Dolpa, Parsa and Mustang fare no good news as 5/5 posts of Adanchuli-Humla, Chharka Tangsong-Dolpa; 9/9 of Basabariya- Parsa, Parsa-Parsa; and 9/9 of Bahragaun Muktichhetra- Mustang are still lying vacant.
However, the high officials at the Ministry of Health and Population seem less alarmed at it. They take it easy as the posts can be fulfilled by the local levels as well.
Speaking on the same issue, spokesperson Shrestha said, “There won’t be a big problem about the posts lying vacant at local level as the local levels now are well authorized to recruit required manpower on contract basis as well.”
His answer hints at the fact that the solution for the employee adjustment problem is still not much close yet.
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