Kathmandu, August 29
Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa says his focus as Nepal’s new Health Minister is on introducing policy and institutional reforms, and not on making superficial changes,
Thapa, who lost to Sashank Koirala in the race to become the party’s general secretary few months ago, said he understands that his ministry is where reform, particularly in the field of medical education, needs to start.
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“I have become minister at a time when people are encouraging me to take important short-term decisions. But I do not want to get into that. I need to focus on long-term reforms,” said Thapa in an interview with Onlinekhabar.
Minister Thapa, who was one of the MPs who drew the attention of Parliament on issues raised by Dr Govinda KC, said he will look into the controversial Manmohan Pratisthan case, and resolve it at the earliest.
Asked about the fate of the proposal of public importance Thapa registered in Parliament along with lawmakers Dhana Raj Gurung and Shyam Shrestha, the minister said, “Other people who backed the proposal will follow it up now.”
Asked what he made of political leaders getting money from the state coffers to go abroad for treatment, Thapa said, “It is an individual’s right to seek treatment abroad, but it is not right that the government foots the bills,” he added.
