Chitwan, August 28
The Health Institution Establishment, Up-gradation and Renewal Act of the Bagamti Province is to be enforced within mid-September.
Most of the health institutions here have not been renewed with the concerned Act not enacted for a long time. In the absence of the Act, the registration of new health institutions has been held; the committees of the provincial hospitals have become defunct; and environmental impact assessment work has not been done.
Bagmati Province Health Minister Kiran Thapa Magar said the Act would be brought within mid-September next month. “We are in the final stage of bringing the law. It is in the provincial parliamentary committee. It will come to the next parliament”, he said, adding that many works have been affected due to non-enactment of the act.
According to the Information Officer at the Ministry, Dr Rabin Bhusal, the ministry had sent the bill to the Province Assembly in September last year.
After this, the Education, Health and Agriculture Committee of Bagmati Province had to approve the bill and send it to the Assembly. The discussion on the bill has been delayed due to the absence of a committee for a long time.
Committee member and former Health Minister Uttam Joshi said that the bill was sent to the Assembly immediately after he became the minister. Stating that a meeting of the committee set for 2:00 pm on August 29 would endorse the bill and the Assembly would enact it on the same day. “We are trying to bring the law as soon as possible as much progress to this effect has been made”, Joshi informed.