Kathmandu, May 20: Minister of State for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol inaugurated and initiated the first convention of the Volunteer Clinics Society Nepal which brings together nine institutions working to provide free public health services.

Jan Chikitsalaya, Nhoukha, Olympus Club, Ombahal, Chhetrapati Free Clinic, Chhetrapati, Nibha Free Health Care Centre, Inbahal, Shree Swetakali Free Clinic, Tahanani, Maitri Family, Kwabahal, Shree Ganesh Health Service Centre, Lagan, Kumari Free Clinic, Naya Bazaar, and Dharmasthali Clinic run by the community development organisation, Banasthali are rendering health services to city dwellers free of cost.

On the occasion, Minister of State Dangol said that health workers should accord top priority to the poor who lack the capacity to pay for health services as this profession has a service motive rather than a profit motive.

He also said that the government was ready to cooperate with such institutions.

Referring to the clinics being run in 17 wards in cooperation with the Municipal Corporation, deputy mayor Bidur Mainali said that the mission of rendering health services to the general public would be easily fulfilled if both the municipal corporation and the volunteers society worked in a co-ordinated manner.

Chairman of the society Dr. Thirman Shakya, from the chair, said with 55 per cent of the total population living below the poverty line, this will naturally have an adverse impact on public health.

The child mortality rate is 91 per thousand, the rate of malnutrition 70, and the mortality rate of mothers during delivery 15,000 per million while only 10 per cent of the total population has health service access on the basis of distance and only 20 per cent use toilets, he elaborated.

He also called on the government and the local bodies to extend maximum cooperation for institutions providing free health service.

Vice chairman of the society Subarna Shakya, general secretary Bijaya Bahadur Mali and secretary Bijay Narayan Manandhar also spoke of the importance of the clinics run at the people’s level.