President Bhandari urges to provide quality health services to all citizens

By Krishna Ram Pariyar/Anjali Thapa, Makawanpur, Feb 21: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has underscored the need of providing quality health services to the general public in an easy and smooth manner.     

The Head-of-State called on the federal government, provincial government and local bodies to move ahead and effectively collaborate with each other for the same.

She said so while inaugurating the newly-constructed building of Hetauda Hospital, run by Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences, here today.     

The President urged the Academy to be active and honest in the activities of providing quality health service and in upgrading and producing skilled human resources.     

Saying the constitution has established basic health services as the fundamental right of the people, President Bhandari requested the provincial government and local bodies to move ahead with research-oriented activities and produce capable human resources in the health sector.     

She laid emphasis that the Academy should move ahead with a new strategy to make the people confident in treatment methods, pointing out the need that specialists in the health sector should involve in the task of bringing diseases under control on time as different diseases like dengue and cholera have added challenges in the country.     

President Bhandari lauded the task of the Bagmati province government, saying the Bagmati province government was involved in the task of providing prompt health services to general people in an easy and smooth manner and producing capable doctors and health workers by bringing Hetauda Hospital under the Academy on September 23, 2019, after passing the Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences Act.     

Bagmati Province Chief Minister Shalikram Jamakattel said the Province government for the first time had endorsed the Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences Act, 2018, upgraded the Heatauda-based District Hospital and brought it under the subordination of the Academy. All the moves aimed to ensure quality healthcare services to the citizens.     

He said province-based hospitals had been upgraded with the availability of required quotas of health professionals. Besides, they get additional manpower and budget for specific health emergencies: for the control of COVID-19 and dengue.     

Former Province Chief Minister Dormani Poudel expressed his concern about a ‘rising trend of referral’ in the District Hospital, Hetaunda, underlining the need of ensuring reliable and quality healthcare services from the hospital.     

He was of the opinion that the hospital should make efforts for launching kidney transplant and heart surgery facilities in the near future.     

Bagmati Province health minister Rameshwor Shrestha pledged to transform the Hospital into a project of national pride and render quality services to the citizens.     

Academy Vice Chancellor Dr Bishwaraj Joshi and Dean Durga Kumari Mishra said the federal and provincial governments had been urged to provide land to the Academy so as to run MBBS, Pharmacy classes and other higher degree programmes.     

President Bhandari arrived here this morning to inaugurate the newly-constructed building of Heatuda Hospital operated by the Academy. (RSS)