PM Dahal directs PAHS to resolve challenges seen in health sector
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the Patan Academy of Health Sciences to manage challenges seen in the health sector.
Addressing the 12th Assembly of PAHS here today, he urged the office-bearers of the Academy to develop additional infrastructures and make the hospital's services of quality and effective.
The PM said development and prosperity is not possible until the common citizen is healthy, stressing on the need of making quality and accessible health services accessible to all citizens.
"The country's economic and social transformation is possible when the citizens are fit and healthy," he said.
Stating that it is the best initiative on the part of the Academy to provide community-based services, the Prime Minister, who is also the Chancellor of PAHS, suggested that the Academy should further make its programmes stronger by incorporating similar programmes.
He said, "I want to draw the attention of the Ministry of Health and Population to forward such types of programmes from other academics and educational institutions."
Stating that most of Nepal's territory is occupied by rural areas, PM Dahal pointed out the need of expanding health service access to rural level by producing skilled health workers motivated by the spirit of social responsibility in order to provide quality healthcare service in rural areas.
He explained, "I direct the Academy to improve its services so as to benefit significantly the citizens who are lagging behind in the human development index and have less access to quality health services."
Prime Minister Dahal lauded the contribution of Patan Academy of Health Sciences in the overall health sector including health service, health education and carrying out health related scientific research.
Minister for Health and Population, Member of National Planning Commission, Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City and Vice-Chancellors of different academies were present on the occasion.
CPN (MC) issues directive to change decision to remove Bhatta from PP leader post
The CPN (Maoist Center) Sudurpaschim Province Committee has issued a directive to change the decision to remove Khagraj Bhatta from the post of Parliamentary Party leader.
A Maoist Center Province Committee meeting held on Saturday issued such a directive.
A Parliamentary Party meeting of the Maoist Center held at the Province Assembly Secretariat on Friday decided to replace Bhatta with Man Bahadur Dhami.
Chairman Hari Ram Chaudhary said that the decision of the meeting held under the chairmanship of deputy leader Akkal Bahadur Rawal without informing the Parliamentary Party leader Bhatta to change the party leader has drawn the attention of the party and issued a directive to change the decision at the earliest.
PM calls to make health insurance more effective
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that health insurance should be made more effective to improve the access and use of quality health services in the country.
Speaking at the 12th assembly of Patan Institute of Health Sciences, Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Institute Dahal stressed on the need to realize the state's goal of ensuring health services for all on the basis of social security and health insurance.
Lauding the positive efforts of the local levels in making the health insurance scheme successful, the Prime Minister expressed the belief that the agreement reached with Lalitpur Metropolitan City to provide specialist health services to make the national health insurance program a success will become a model for the country.
He also expressed his belief that the health services provided by the PIHS to the general public will be of higher quality and efficiency in the future, with access to more people.
Prime Minister Dahal also recalled the institute's significant contribution to treatment of those infected with COVID-19.
On a different note, the Prime Minister emphasized on the need for international level study and research in the field of health science and the production of skilled and quality health human resources.
Maoist becomes the largest party in NA
The CPN (Maoist Center) has emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly (NA), winning five out of 19 vacant seats and increasing its seat in the 59-member chamber to 18.
The Nepali Congress, by winning 10 seats in the election, now has 16 seats, followed by CPN-UML’s 10 seats, thanks to a single seat it managed to win in the NA elections held on Thursday. Nepal Communist Party (Unified Socialist) won two seats, increasing its strength to eight and emerging as the fourth largest party in the upper chamber.
Former Nepali Congress general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula got elected to the upper chamber from Koshi Province, securing 5,292 votes against Poudel’s 4,562.
UML’s Rukmini Koirala won from Koshi Province Women’s Cluster, defeating Champadevi Karki, a Maoist Center candidate representing the ruling coalition. The UML candidate polled 5,086 votes against Karki’s 4,922 votes. Karki lost the crucial vote as 17 voters from local levels and three from the province crossed the floor.
The ruling coalition won all four seats in Bagmati Province. Bishnu Devi Pudasaini (Female) and Jitjung Basnet (Others) from Nepali Congress, Shri Krishna Prasad Adhikari from CPN Maoist Center (Differently-Abled) and Ghanashyam Risal from Samajbadi Party (Dalit) won, securing 6,622, 6,531, 6,383 and 6,512 votes, respectively.
Both candidates from the ruling coalition won Lumbini Province. Bishnu Kumari Sapkota of Nepali Congress won as a female candidate with 5,435 votes against CPN-UML candidate Tulasa KC’s 2,867. Jhakku Prasad Subedi (Maoist Center) won in Others category by polling 5,435 votes against UML candidate Jhapendra Gharti Chhetri (Palpa)’s 3,039 votes.
Madhes Province elected Anand Prasad Dhungana of the Congress and Pooja Chaudhary of Janata Samajwadi Party with 7,370 and 7,929 votes, respectively.
From Gandaki Province, Kiran Babu Shrestha of Congress (Others), Padam Bahadur Pariyar (Differently-Abled/minority) and Manrupa Sharma (Female) of Maoist Center won, polling 3,808, 3,779 votes and 3,660 votes, respectively.
In Karnali Province also, the ruling coalition won all three seats. Sabitri Malla (Dailekh) of the CPN United Socialist Party won with 3,722 votes from the Female category, leaving behind Bimala Kumari Shahi of CPN-UML (1,362 votes).
On Dalit category, Bishnu BK (Bikalpa) of CPN Maoist got elected, polling 3,817 votes against CPN-UML Hikmat BK’s 1,267 votes. Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Congress defeated Dilli Prasad Bhatt of CPN-UML in Rukum West, polling 3,870 votes against Bhatt’s 1,214 votes.
From Sudurpaschim Province also, ruling coalition candidates emerged victorious. The winning candidates are Maoist Center’s Renu Chand (Female) and Congress’s Narayan Bhatt (Differently-Abled) as well as Baldev Bohara (Others).
The Election Commission said in a press release on Thursday that 546 out of 549 voters in seven province assemblies cast their votes in the National Assembly elections, marking a turnout of 99.45 percent.
Out of 1,497 voters at local levels (rural municipalities, municipalities, sub-metropolises and metropolises), 1,486 cast votes, marking a 99.97 percent turnout.
The 19 NA members elected in the 59-member upper chamber will replace the incumbents, whose term expires on March 3. As per a constitutional provision, the President will nominate a member on the recommendation of the Cabinet.
