RSS
KATHMANDU, July 31: His Majesty’s Government is to prepare a set standard for operation of health institutions in the private sector within the Kingdom of Nepal and also carry out regular follow-up on such institutions already established.
The Ministry of Health had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the secretary at the Ministry for the classification of such institutions run in the private sector on the basis of set criteria, to fix the prerequisites for operational approval and to regularly follow-up the quality of services provided by the institutions.
The Ministry of Health organised a workshop seminar here today for discussing the policy guidelines the committee has formulated regarding setting up and operation of private health institutions like hospitals and Nursing Homes.
According to new provisions made by the committee, the hospitals and Nursing Homes operated in the private sector have been classified and the tariff fixed on the basis of the kind of health services provided by these institutions and the standard of the health services provided by them.
The specialists concerned taking part in the discussions suggested that His Majesty’s Government should delineate appropriate policies and take ahead the private sector along with it in a coordinated manner in order to make health services accessible to all.
His Majesty’s Government has made the provision that any health technician or employee working in any of the government, non-governmental or private hospital will not be allowed to work in more than two health institutions or hospitals from the coming year.
Similarly, as per the new arrangement, only persons holding diploma and post-graduate degrees from educational institutions recognised by His Majesty’s Government or persons who have a minimum five years of work experience as hospital administrator at hospitals recognised by the government should be appointed hospital administrator at hospitals with a capacity of 50 or more beds.
With a view to making systematic the practice of Nursing Homes operated in the private sector running as research centres, the new arrangements requires that such institutions registered as research centres and being run as such must have carried out research on minimum two new subjects in a year.
Likewise, such institutions are required to display the information relating to the services offered by them, the names of the specialists and doctors providing such services, their academic qualification, available health equipment and manpower and the fees charged for such services for the information of the general public.
At the programme, secretary at the Ministry of Health Mahendra Nath Aryal said that the new measures have been introduced in order to regulate health institutions in the private sector and provide accessible health services to the people by doing away with the existing problems.
Director-general of the Department of Health Services Dr. Laxmi Raj Pathak said the ministry has adopted the policy of implementing the new provisions after arriving at conclusion following discussions on the policy matters outlined by the committee.