Kathmandu, March 30: The 100-point governance reform plan unveiled by the Council of Ministers includes six measures aimed at reforming the health sector.
Establishing a prompt digital system is one of its key priorities. The government has announced that strict measures would be taken to end situations that prevent indigent, helpless, and neglected communities from accessing healthcare services.
It has also pledged to strictly enforce the provision requiring at least 10 percent of beds in both government and private health facilities to be allocated for these vulnerable groups. Similarly, a Free Health Portal will be developed and implemented within 30 days to enable real-time monitoring of the availability of free health services as well as details of beneficiaries and service utilization.
According to the scheme, hospital pharmacies must implement a digital system within three months to display the stock and prices of medicines.
The government has also mandated the operation of “fair shop pharmacies” at government hospitals and major health institutions. The process to establish burn wards at the provincial level will be initiated within the next 30 days.
Ensuring the availability of air ambulances on standby for emergency needs particularly targeting highland regions in Sudurpashchim, central, and eastern Nepal is also among the government’s priorities.
However, stakeholders in the health sector have expressed concern over the omission of the health insurance programme, which is considered vital for public health, from the reform checklist. #nepal #rss
