Ministry preparing strategy discouraging private hospital in area with government facility

By Sharad Sharma, Kathmandu, May 2: The government is preparing to come up with a policy of discouraging the establishment of a private hospital at a place already occupied by a government health facility.    

‘The Nepal Health Sector- Strategy Plan 2022-2030’ is formulated by the Ministry of Health and Population states that priority will be given to opening a private hospital in the area having no government hospital.    

According to Ministry’s Policy and Planning Division chief Dr Krishna Chandra Poudel, the preparation of the draft is underway. The government aspires to allow the permission of opening private health facilities only in the area lacking a government one.    

As he informed, tax discounts and subsidies would be given in the establishment of a private hospital in the area sans public hospitals.    

The submissions of the views of various experts, organisations and service seekers are underway for the strategy formulation. We aim to ensure quality health services are accessible for all and the strategy is being developed accordingly.     

"Presently, we are in the phase of collecting suggestions. We will discuss the strategy with the former health ministers and the Health and Education Committee of the Federal Parliament as well," Poudel said.    

According to him, making the entire health system resilient, accountable and responsible in line with the federal structure, minimizing the risk of expenses to be borne by the citizen while utilising the health services, ensuring the equitable and easy access to the quality health services and managing the population, migration and growing urbanization are some of the goals of the strategy.    

Division chief Dr Poudel said that attention has been given to the strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the context of increasing cases of non-communicable diseases compared to the infectious diseases at present.    

According to him, the strategy also emphasizes scaling up investment in health and expanding access to quality health care services for all.    

"There is the need for increased investment in health to address the health stressors created by unexpected pandemics such as COVID-19 and the health emergency situations as well as the increasing proportion of the older people in the population," he opined.    

The strategy includes topics such as the production of human resources as per the projection, mobilization of skilled health human resources, health discipline and ensuring adequate economic investment in the health sector.    

Ministry spokesperson Dr Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra shared that the strategy maintains about improving the health standard of the general public. She expressed confidence that the strategy will help improve the overall quality of health services in the country. (RSS)