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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed the bodies concerned to make arrangements for providing easy and smooth treatment services at all government hospitals.

At a discussion about problems of health sectors, solutions and improvements to be done immediately held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Thursday night, Prime Minister Oli urged the concerned authority to make arrangements of treatment for patients in an easy manner where the patients should not stay on a long queue.

He requested to depute doctors and health workers even after providing facilities when needed, adding the trend of asking patients to visit private clinics without conducting check-up during office hours at government hospitals should be ended.

The Prime Minister asked the bodies concerned to make health insurance practical and enforceable.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel, Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel, acting Chief Secretary and high-ranking officials of health ministry including health secretary were present on the occasion. 

This week, political turmoil in Bangladesh dominated discourse across all levels of society. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who held power for 16 years, fled the country following massive student-led protests demanding the end of reservation quotas for the grandchildren of those who fought in the 1971 liberation movement. What began as a student movement quickly escalated into a popular political uprising that played into the hands of opposition parties. In Nepal, the events in Bangladesh sparked debates on two main fronts—what Nepal can learn from this situation, and whether Nepali leaders might face a similar fate if they do not address public grievances.

There are several lessons Nepal can draw from Bangladesh: Strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring a level playing field for all political parties, linking economic growth with poverty alleviation, creating jobs, and safeguarding freedom of speech and expression. Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement responding to the recent developments, saying, “We call for calm and restraint by all and stress the importance of an orderly return to the democratic process. We are confident that the strong and resilient people of Bangladesh will ensure a smooth transition toward peace and stability.”

With these new developments, concerns have arisen over the bilateral relationship between Nepal and Bangladesh, which had been progressing steadily during Hasina’s tenure. The two countries were close to finalizing details on energy trade, but it is uncertain whether this will remain a priority for the new interim government in Bangladesh, which is currently focused on preparing for the next elections. There are also concerns about several bilateral projects that have been in discussion over the past few years. Additionally, Nepal has tightened its border with India to prevent a possible influx of refugees from Bangladesh via India. Despite these challenges, the substantial growth in Nepal-Bangladesh relations over the past decade is likely to remain unaffected.

On domestic issues, the top leaders of Nepal’s three major parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN (Maoist Center)—have reported progress on disputed transitional justice issues. A cross-party task force has submitted its report to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, with a commitment to endorse the bill to amend the Transitional Justice Act. Since 2015, these parties have faced pressure from conflict victims and the international community to amend the Act in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict and international standards. If the three parties can unite, it will be easier to resolve Nepal’s transitional justice process.

In another story, concerns over air safety were heightened following another air crash within two weeks. An Air Dynasty helicopter crashed in Nuwakot, killing five people, including the pilot and four passengers. This follows the July 24 crash of a Saurya Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport, which killed 18 of the 19 people on board. The series of crashes has placed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) under public scrutiny, as it is responsible for ensuring safety measures. The repeated incidents are likely to have negative repercussions on Nepal’s tourism industry. Parliamentarians have already raised questions about the governance within CAAN, and Tourism Minister Badri Pandey has vowed to devote one week to investigating the causes of these repeated crashes.

In politics, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal continued to make headlines this week, declaring that he would not seek the position of prime minister before the 2027 elections, and if the party gains the opportunity, the next leader will assume the role. Just last week, he had announced that the Maoists would contest the next election on their own. However, Maoist party leaders remain skeptical of Dahal’s announcement.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress President Deuba faced criticism this week for doing little to strengthen the  party organization and instead focusing on consolidating his power. Under pressure from party leaders, Deuba did appoint coordinators for the party’s 37 departments this week.

Additionally, two significant documents were submitted to the Nepali Congress party office this week—one by General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa and the other by Vice-Chairman Purna Bahadur Khadka. Thapa’s document, which opposes forming electoral alliances in the next elections, previously irritated the Maoists. However, with the recent changes in the national political landscape, the NC and UML have agreed not to pursue electoral alliances.

A few weeks ago, a senior UML leader revealed that the NC and UML had agreed not to form an electoral alliance. In the NC meeting this week, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak informed party members that the NC and UML plan to pursue constitutional amendments, though he did not specify the issues. He cautioned against undermining this agreement, warning that such mistakes could lead to a political disaster.

In another development, a Cabinet meeting removed Shyam Lal Gyawali from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), which received mixed reactions, and transferred Deepak Thapa to CIB. 

At the provincial level, the formation of a new alliance at the center has led to the formation of new governments in provinces. However, Madhes province has drawn criticism for appointing 20 ministers, as this could strain state resources.

That’s all for this week. Have a great weekend.

The International Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) has directed the government to form an independent investigation committee comprising experts to probe the status of the implementation of the aviation safety standards.

A meeting of the Committee held on Thursday directed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to form an investigation committee to recommend actions against those involved in the wrongdoings and ensure policy reforms while investigating the issues within 15 days, including whether aviation safety standards were implemented in the country.

Committee's Chairperson Raj Kishor Yadav said that the Ministry was directed to probe the status of implementation of aviation-related laws and international practices in this field.

Yadav said the decision was taken following consultations with the tourism minister, the Ministry's secretary and the director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

Likewise, the parliamentary committee has directed the government to immediately table the bill formed to integrate and amend laws relating to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the bill on Nepal's aviation service.

Furthermore, the Committee has directed the Tourism Ministry to submit the reports of the committees and task forces formed by the government in the past on the plane crashes; aviation safety and aviation regulations.

The Committee has also underscored the need for a separate policy on aviation safety though the aviation policy was in place.

Pakistani Ambassador to Nepal Abrar H Hashmi paid a courtesy call on Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav at the latter’s residence in Lainchaur on Thursday.

During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, trade and economy and cooperation in regional and international forums after exchanging the greetings, Vice President Yadav’s Secretariat informed.

Vice President Yadav said that Nepal and Pakistan have had close and harmonious relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations on March 20, 1960.

“It is necessary that we have to continue dialogue through joint economic commission and bilateral political consultation mechanism established between the two countries,” he said, adding, “The exchange of high-level visits between the two countries has always enhanced the relationship.”

Vice President Yadav said that Nepal and Pakistan should expand cooperation in trade and economic sectors.

“Both the countries can work together in many sectors including investment, tourism, culture and people-to-people relations among others. We have to encourage our private sector,” he said.

Saying that Nepal is a safe place for investment, Vice President Yadav said that Nepal has established ‘One Stop Service Center’ in the Department of Industry to facilitate foreign investors.

“Nepal welcomes Pakistani investors in hydropower, tourism, infrastructure and ICT among other areas,” he said. “I would like to thank Pakistan for providing annual scholarships under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) to Nepali students to study medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and engineering.”

Mentioning that Nepal has been providing attractive tourist products and services to Pakistani tourists, Vice President Yadav expressed his belief that Nepal’s nature, archeological and cultural heritage would attract a large number of Pakistani tourists to Nepal.

Regarding cooperation in regional and international forums, he said, “Nepal and Pakistan have the same views on many issues and our concerns are similar in multilateral forums.”

Both the countries have been helping each other in regional and international forums including United Nations, non-aligned movement and SAARC among others forums.

Vice President Yadav said that SAARC should be taken ahead for peace, prosperity and welfare of the people of South Asia.  

“Nepal as the chair of SAARC has been trying its best to resume the stalled SAARC process,” he said, adding, “The help of all the member countries is essential for the same.”

Expressing deep concern over the effects of global warming and climate change in Hindu-Kush Himalayan region, he said that both the countries should join hands to combat the effects of climate change.

Pakistani Ambassador Abrar H Hashmi said that Nepal and Pakistan have a close and harmonious relations and both the countries have been respecting the sovereignty of each other’s countries.

He said that Nepal’s role in SAARC is laudable.

Saying that many groups are becoming active between Nepal and Pakistan, the Pakistani ambassador said that Nepal has been working in the sectors of tourism, agriculture and energy.

“Out of eight Pakistani investors who participated in the investment summit organized recently by Nepal, one has made an agreement with the Nepal government,” he said.