KATHMANDU, July 13: In the wake of renewed public attention to Nepal's limited burn care facilities, Prime Minister Balendra Shah has directed the authorities to immediately move forward with a plan to establish well-equipped burn treatment centres in all seven provinces.
Chairing a meeting of vice chancellors from various health science institutions at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday, Shah also instructed officials to prepare a plan to upgrade burn wards in major government hospitals across the country.
He stressed the need for close coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments, as well as health institutions, to ensure that patients with severe burn injuries receive timely and quality treatment.
Make burn care treatment available in Nepal
Describing accessible, effective and citizen-friendly healthcare as one of the government's top priorities, the prime minister also called for improvements in hospital cleanliness, service delivery, digitalization and the implementation of good governance measures.
Shah further instructed the vice chancellors to ensure the effective enforcement of the provision requiring private hospitals to provide at least 10 percent of their Outpatient Department (OPD) services at subsidized rates for economically disadvantaged and vulnerable patients.
During the meeting, the vice chancellors proposed measures to improve the quality of medical education, strengthen healthcare delivery, expand specialized treatment services, address shortages of skilled health professionals, promote research and upgrade health infrastructure.
They also briefed the prime minister about ongoing efforts to digitally transform health services, implement hospital information management systems and address institutional challenges, including land encroachment affecting some health institutions.
The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Nabees Man Singh Pradhan, vice chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences; Prof. Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra, vice chancellor of Rapti Academy of Health Sciences; Prof. Dr. Narayan Singh Gurung, vice chancellor of Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences; Dr. Smriti Kafle, vice chancellor of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences; and Bibek Acharya, vice chancellor of the National Academy of Medical Sciences.
