Health Ministry's directive to designate 'focal person'

Kathmandu, April 4: The Ministry of Health and Population has issued directive to its subordinate health institutions to designate a focal person and send information of the same to the Ministry. 

Information officer of the Ministry, Dr Bhakta KC, said that the ministry has instructed its 46 subordinate health institutions to appoint a 'focal person' as soon as possible to address complaints received through 'Hello Sarkar', a hotline complaint registering mechanism.  

He stated that he instructed subordinate agencies, hospitals, and institutions under the ministry to assign a focal person and send information about this to the ministry to enhance the government-issued the governance reform programme to develop it as a citizen 'platform'.

Information officer KC said that those focal persons would address the complaints of citizens received from 'Hello Sarkar (Government)'.

According to Dr KC, to that connection, the ministry has sent letters to 46 departments/hospitals/institutions including the Department of Health Services, Department of Drug Administration, the Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine, Bir Hospital, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, and the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences.

Meanwhile, the Bir Hospital has instructed doctors not to specify any particular company or 'brand' when prescribing medicine to patients.

Hospital Executive Director Prof Dr Dilip Sharma has urged doctors to write the 'generic' name in capital letters, understandable to all, when prescribing medicines and surgical materials to patients, without specifying any particular company brand.

After the doctor recommends the medicine in this way, the doctor is asked to write it with their licence number and signature.

He said that persons promoting medicine or the Medical Representatives (MR) are prohibited from entering the hospital during office hours.

Dr Sharma stated that the MRs are prohibited from entering the outpatient departments, emergency wards, and patient wards during office hours. (RSS)