KATHMANDU, April 11: Service seekers at state-owned hospitals can now access doctors' appointments, report receipt and necessary payments via an online system, with the government enforcing the ‘Hospital Service Reform Procedure-2026.’
The guidelines implemented by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) talk about making government hospitals facilitate online booking, report dispatch and e-payment or QR code payment systems for patients visiting the hospitals for treatment. According to the MoHP, the new rules are expected to make hospital-related services more public-friendly, accessible and effective.
Samir Kumari Adhikari, spokesperson for the MoHP, said the procedure is a part of the 100-point Governance Reform forwarded by the Balen-led government. The working guideline has introduced strict provisions on service dissemination by hospital administration, promotion of digitised systems, public dealing by hospital staff and medicine management.
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As per the initiatives, an integrated electronic record system should be developed to manage patient records and follow-ups, and laboratory reports should be made available 24 hours a day. Doctors are required to prescribe only those medicines available in the hospital’s pharmacy.
Similarly, if a patient needs to be referred, they should be sent to a government hospital with a referral slip. Hospitals must ensure the availability of essential medicines in their pharmacies. In addition, medical representatives (MRs) are not allowed to enter hospital premises during office hours or service delivery. In the emergency service units, manpower must be available on a 24/7 basis.
The concerned hospitals will have to manage an adequate number of ticket counters and cash counters to manage the crowd of service seekers. Differently abled people, senior citizens and pregnant women, among others, must be offered related services with high priority.
The installation of dedicated internet and an integrated electronic medical record system will be required in all government hospitals, while they have to clearly put colourful navigation symbols in the Nepali language for the convenience of the general public. While referring patients to alternative treatment locations, they have to first coordinate well with the concerned hospital and send the patients with official referral slips.
