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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced that eye health would be integrated into the national Health Insurance Program.

PM Oli said so while inaugurating the international conference named '2030 In Sight Live Nepal' organized by various health organizations including the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

The event is a gathering of leaders, innovators and policy-makers where they deliberate on measures, collaborative initiatives and actions to achieve the goals outlined in 2030 In Sight Strategy to ensure that eye health is available to everyone by 2030.

On the occasion PM Oli reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthen the primary healthcare system and achieve the SDGs.

Oli reiterated that the government prioritizes eye health and thus is going to integrate it in the national insurance program. He also highlighted the government's prioritization of eye-care services, especially for those people at the risk of losing their vision.

The PM acknowledged the pivotal role played by the 'Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness' survey conducted in 2022 in shaping the country's eye-health priorities.

Furthermore, he informed that the National Health Sector strategy that has outlined the commitment to expand the coverage of cataract surgery from the current 35-45 percent to 75 percent by 2030.

Stating that no country could achieve the desired results in the eye health sector, the PM, thus, called for a greater global collaboration.

He asserted that the incumbent government had recognized eye health as an important aspect of the public healthcare system, he shed light on the government's initiatives such as eye-screening tests and imparting nursing programs at school level, and that he had contributed in promoting gender equity and gender access to education.

Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary has been arrested on Wednesday.

Police apprehended Chaudhary from the premises of the program venue in Pragya Bhawan at a time when preparations were underway to announce the party unity between Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party.

The reason behind the arrest is yet to be ascertained.

The Ministry of Health and Population has directed all public healthcare facilities across the country to disclose complete identification details of the doctors and health workers involved in treatment of patients.

Healthcare professionals have been instructed to ensure that the recommendations for radiology, laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures are clearly documented in patients' report cards.

The Ministry, in a circular today, issued the order towards this with an objective to ensure accountability and transparency in the public health sector.

The move is also expected to further facilitate in treatment of the patients as well to simplify the re-testing process for patients 

All the federal hospitals and health institutions have been asked to include all vital identification details of the doctors such as full name, medical specialization, Nepal Medical Council's registration and signature of the doctors among others in the patients' report card.

Spokesperson of Ministry, Dr Prakash Budhathoki, shared that the directive is intended to mitigate the malpractice of referring patients elsewhere for testing when those facilities are available in-house.

According to him, the incomplete prescription and absence of complete medical documentation had been creating challenges in proper diagnosis and treatment of the patients.

He expressed his confidence that the mandatory disclosure of the identification details of the medical professionals in patients' report cards would make medical professionals more responsible and accountable.

It may be noted that Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel, emphasizing reforms in curative services for the patients in public healthcare facilities, has been adopting several initiatives and measures to make healthcare services affordable and accessible.

The recent directive is a part of the Minister's broader initiatives to improve the services in the public health sector.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepali citizen.

The CCS, comprising key ministers including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S. Jaishankar, and Nirmala Sitharaman, strongly condemned the Pakistan-backed assault and was briefed on its cross-border links, Firstpost reported.

Officials emphasized that the attack occurred during peaceful elections and continuous development in Jammu and Kashmir. In a strong response, the government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, indicating a hardline stance against Pakistan's support for terrorism.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs to conduct a high-level security review.

The Prime Minister expressed entire trust in the military forces and gave them complete operational authority over the time, targets, and mode of response. He emphasized that India will continue to battle terrorism, according to the Firstpost.