Key Health Institutions Operating Under Acting Leadership

Kathmandu. Important health institutions are running on acting basis. Due to the lack of necessary initiatives from the Ministry of Health and Population, regulatory bodies and service provider bodies in health have been running on acting basis for a long time.

The delay in appointing officials for various councils, hospitals, and boards is due to the committee formed to recommend candidates not working on time, leading to health institutions operating on an acting basis. Most institutions have been operating under acting leadership for over two months.

Officials state that due to the lack of leadership, strategic decisions and visionary plans are stalled, limiting health institutions to daily service delivery. Delays have also been observed in appointments made by ministerial decisions. Experts warn that a weak regulatory body will severely impact the overall quality, discipline, and public trust in the health sector.

The Department of Health Services has been operating under an acting director general for two months. Dr. Anuj Bhattachan received the responsibility of acting director general on Jestha 30. Bhattachan became the acting director general by a ministerial decision. However, the position of director general is usually given to an additional secretary of the 12th level. Currently, additional secretaries Dr. Sangita Kaushal Mishra and Shri Krishna Shrestha are working at the ministry. Bhattachan is an officer of the 11th level. He also holds the responsibility of director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.

The Department of Health Services has been forced to operate under an acting capacity for two months because the Ministry of Health has not appointed a 12th-level additional secretary.

Similarly, the Department of Drug Management is also running on an acting basis. Shivani Khadgi has been given the responsibility of acting director general of the department. Khadgi received the responsibility of acting chief through a ministerial decision. Earlier, on Chaitra 26, Health Minister Nisha Mehta had transferred Narayan Prasad Dhakal, the department's director general, to the ministry on charges of illegally setting drug prices. Khadgi was instructed to handle the financial and administrative responsibilities of the director general until further arrangements were made.

Previously, Khadgi, a 10th-level officer working as a senior drug administrator, is the most senior among the currently working employees in the department.

The oldest hospital in the country, Bir Hospital, has also been operating under an acting director for the past two months. Although Bir Hospital has a 12th-level (additional secretary) position, the Ministry of Health has not yet sent any personnel. There is a provision for four additional secretaries under the Ministry of Health. One is supposed to be in the Department of Health Services, one in Bir Hospital, and two in the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health has been recommending the appointment of physicians from lower ranks than additional secretary for the director position at Bir, which has a 12th-level vacancy, without sending anyone. The Ministry of Health has given the responsibility of acting director of Bir Hospital to Prof. Dr. Prabha Koirala. The ministry stated that Koirala was given the responsibility after the resignation of the previous director, Dilip Sharma. Dr. Koirala is the chief of the Cardiology Department at Bir Hospital.

Ayurveda Medical College Naradevi is also running under an acting director. Dr. Ram Kameswar Thakur has been given the responsibility of acting director.

Deepak Bhandari is in charge of the acting registrar of the Ayurveda Medical Council Nepal. The council is without a chairman. The interview for the registrar of the Ayurveda Medical Council Nepal has been scheduled for Shrawan 11 at 10 AM. Ajay Kumar Chaudhary, Pushparaj Poudel, Buddhi Prasad Poudel, Bishun Dayal Prasad Patel, and Harisharan Aryal have applied for the registrar position.

Dr. Dipendra Pandey is in charge of the acting registrar of the Nepal Medical Council. Health Minister Nisha Mehta gave Dr. Pandey the responsibility of acting registrar through a ministerial decision on Baisakh 29. However, Dr. Pandey has handed over the acting responsibility to Dr. Ajay Kumar Shah. On Ashad 16, the ministry published the applications for the registrar of the Medical Council, which included Pravin Kumar Giri, Rabindra Baskota, Pramod Kumar Koirala, Hulash Agarwal, Subharat Shrestha, Suraj Kumar Gupta, Khilasha Pokharel, and Ranjit Kumar Jha. Similarly, Vivek Acharya, Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary, Ramparikshan Yadav, Krishna Prasad Adhikari, Biswas Pradhan, Deepak Kumar Dutt, Gaurishankar Shah, and Nilamani Upadhyay have applied for the chairman of the Nepal Medical Council. Additionally, Prahlad Karki, Narayan Bikram Thapa, Krishna Kumar Rai, Laxmi Narayan Singh, Dhundiraj Poudel, Sabhana Pradhan, Harish Chandra Upreti, and Pramod Kumar Yadav have also applied for the chairman position, according to the ministry.

Shaheed Gangalal National Heart Center is also running on an acting basis. Dr. Rabindra Bhakta Timla is the acting executive director of the center. Awash Karki, Ashish Govinda Amatya, Chandramani Adhikari, Navin Chandra Gautam, Nirmal Panthi, Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary, and the current acting executive director Timla had applied for the executive director position of the Shaheed Gangalal National Heart Center. The interview time for the applicants for the executive director of the Shaheed Gangalal National Heart Center has not yet been scheduled.

The Nepal Pharmacy Council is without a chairman, and the council is operating under an acting registrar. Usha Tandukar is currently the acting registrar of the council. The interview for the chairman and registrar of the council was scheduled for Shrawan 8 at the Ministry of Health. Kadir Alam, Dharma Prasad Khanal, Pradip Lamsal, Baburam Humagain, Vijay Yadav, Raj Kumar Thapa, and Liza Joshi Gurubacharya had applied for the chairman of the council. Jay Bahadur Ghale, Pawan Maharjan, Prakash Khatri, Bimal Kunwar, Roshani Prajapati, Sharad Pudasaini, and Harish Singh Thapa had applied for the registrar of the Nepal Pharmacy Council.

Similarly, the Health Insurance Board is without a chairman and executive director. Shakuntala Prajapati is the acting executive director of the board. Nijan Upadhyay, Mahesh Subedi, Suman Chandra Gurung, Subash Pyakurel, and Simrin Kafle had applied for the chairman. The Ministry of Health had only called for applications for the acting executive director of the Health Insurance Board on Ashad 31. However, the date for the interview and presentation has not been set.

The Nepal Health Research Council, an important research body in the health sector, is also without a chairman and member secretary. The chairman position is vacant, and the acting member secretary position is held by Namita Ghimire.

The Nepal Health Professionals Council is also without a chairman. Ravikant Mishra has been given the responsibility of acting registrar of the Nepal Health Professionals Council. 24 people have applied for the chairman of the council. According to the Ministry of Health, Niranjan Thapa, Sagun Poudel, Miraj Subedi, Ranjit Thakur, Kamal Rananbhat, Mukesh Kumar Mishra, Suraj Saha, Suraj Bhusal, Som Kant Baral, and Rajesh Prasad Yadav have applied. Similarly, Mahendra Prasad Bhatt, Damodar Rokka, Janendra Jha, Vijay Shankar Yadav, Amod Kumar Poudyal, Jitendra Thakur, Mukesh Kumar Jha, Ishwariya Lamiachhane, Hari Kumar Lamsal, Mukesh Kumar Yadav, Bhuvan Saud, Ramesh Bhatt, and Govinda Poudel have applied for the chairman position, as stated in the Ministry of Health's notice.

Similarly, 37 people have applied for the registrar position of the Nepal Health Professionals Council. Gangaraj Aryal, Hari Prasad Bhusal, Ranjit Thakur, Chandni Jaiswal, Gyanendra Dawadi, Avinash Jha, Tulsi Prasad Subedi, Ramesh Shrestha, Roshan Kumar Mahato, Naresh Kumar Shah, Manu Panthi, Ganga Prasad Joshi, Somakant Baral, Bhuvan Saud, Tulsiram Bhandari, Navin Kumar Jha, among others, have applied for the registrar position. The interview dates for the chairman and registrar of the Nepal Health Professionals Council have not been set.

The Nepal Health Research Council, an important research body in the health sector, is also without a chairman and member secretary. The chairman position is vacant, and the acting member secretary position is held by Namita Ghimire. 18 people have applied for the member secretary position of the Nepal Health Research Council. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 18 people have applied for the member secretary and 19 for the member positions.

Similarly, Sagun Poudel, Roshan Kumar Mahato, Binod Kumar Yadav, Rabindra Man Shrestha, Pratima Khatri, Meghnath Dhimal, Ganga Prasad Joshi, Deepak Kumar Dutt, Dipendra Kumar Yadav, Sheshananda Sanjel, Satish Kumar Dev, Sabina Shrestha, Kajiram Adhikari, Dharmagat Bhattarai, Shyam Prasad Lohani, Pramod Joshi, Ganga Prasad Joshi, Sanjay Kumar Shrestha, and Bimlesh Kumar Jha have applied for the member secretary position, as stated in the Ministry of Health's notice. Similarly, Ajay Risal, Rabha Thapa, Biswas Pradhan, Rekha Timalsina, Ram Parikshan Yadav, Krishna Kumar Rai, Sudha Basnet, Saraswati Neupane, Jaya Satyal, Saroj Prasad Mishra, Apar Pokharel, Satish Kumar Dev, Narayan Bahadur Mahotra, Santosh Kumar Thakur, Dharmagat Bhattarai, Ganesh Dangal, Pramod Joshi, Ajit Rayamajhi, and Laxmi Narayan Singh have applied for the member positions. 19 people have applied for seven member positions. However, the committee has not set interview dates for the chairman and member secretary positions.

The Ministry of Health has stated that officials will be appointed to all bodies gradually.

Health Institutions Operating on Acting Basis

• Department of Health Services
• Bir Hospital
• Department of Drug Management
• Ayurveda Medical College Naradevi
• Nepal Medical Council
• Shaheed Gangalal National Heart Center
• Ayurveda Medical College Naradevi
• Nepal Health Professionals Council
• Nepal Pharmacy Council
• Health Insurance Board
• Nepal Nursing Council
• Nepal Health Research Council
• Nepal Ayurveda Medical Council