No health act soon: Mahato

No health act soon: Mahato

By Our Correspondent

Damak, Jan. 5 Minister for Health and Population Rajendra Mahato on Thursday said that the government was on its way to amend the health act to deal with various persisting issues in the health sector. Speaking at a programme in Gaurigunj, Jhapa, he said that the government was unable to carry out reform of the health sector due to the unchanged health act. Minister Mahato said that the process of amending the health act was initiated as it would create way for fulfilling the empty quotas thus providing relief to the people. "Various problems rose during the past three years in health sector due to unrevised health act," he said adding that he was committed to solve the pertaining issues in his tenure. He said that the process of amendment of the act was already underway and that most of the issues would be solved within the first three months of amendment. Access to health service is fundamental right of the people and the government is always concerned about providing health service to its people in a more assessable and effective manner, he said. Minister Mahato visited Mechi Zonal hospital at Bhadrapur before reaching the southern VDC of the district to inaugurate a 35 bedded health centre. During his visit to the hospital, Mahato said that the government would focus towards improvement of the physical infrastructures of the hospital and introduce new planning for its development. The government is concerned towards improving the facilities of the hospital and to make it more accessible to the communities with lower income so that they can have affordable and quality medical service. Tanka Prasad Barhakoti, chief superintendent of the hospital, informed the minister about the severe physical infrastructure of the hospital and absence of the doctors as per the quota. He said that the construction of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) had stopped due to lack of budget and asked for the government to assist the government for resuming the construction soon as it had affected the service of the hospital. From the Rising Nepal