Health Minister not well-informed about actual staff quota under Ministry

Kathmandu / Jan 3: Health Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa said he is yet to know the number of employee posts under the Ministry.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Green Tara, a non-government organisation, to unveil its report on the health promotion, Minister Thapa said he is yet to get official information about the numbers of doctors, health professionals, Assistant Health Workers, nurse, para-medics, lab workers and other technical human resources working under the Ministry.

“I am in the post of the Health Minister for the past five months, but have not got the information about this,” he said.

Recalling his visit to the Sotang Primary Health Post in Solukhumbu two months ago, the Health Minister said the staff attendance register at the health post showed the attendance of two doctors, but he could not meet with them in person. Later, during an inquiry into the matter, he found one was in the training and the second was still unknown to him.

The Health Minister went on to say that those health employees just occupying the posts are asked to either get back to duty or quit the job.

The organization report launched today reveals that a health worker in Nepal delivers services just 96 days in a year. RSS