Kathmandu, September 8

Health institutions operating at local levels will now be transferred to the concerned local levels headed by people’s elected representatives as per the constitution.

According to Federal Implementation Unit at the Ministry of Health, the powers of local levels and the list of concurrent powers of the federal, provincial and local levels specified in Schedule 8 and 9 of the constitution respectively require all local level-based health institutions to function under the local levels.

In this context, FIM has already issued a circular to all district public health offices and district ayurved health centres, requesting them to hand over health posts, primary health centres, urban health centres and community health units to their concerned local levels in line with the August 27 decision of the Council of Ministers.

According to the decision, the health facilities, including all their moveable and immovable property such as land, building, medicine and equipment, will have to be transferred to the local levels through DHPOs and DYHCs. Local health institution operation and management committee will also be governed by the local levels.

“Employees currently working with health facilities and local levels will carry out their duties and responsibilities in a coordinated manner until the passage of Employees Adjustment Bill which is under consideration in the Parliament,” read the circular.

However, priority health programmes will be conducted as per the policies and directives of the central government regardless of such handover. “Recording and reporting of health services to be delivered by such institutions will remain unchanged, while giving continuity to all promotional, preventive and curative services for achieving national goal,” it said.

After handover of health facilities, local levels will have to maintain records of and disclose property received through DPHOs and DAHCs within mid-September.

Meanwhile, Decentralisation Section at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development said the employees, who are transferred to the health facilities, would be accountable to the local levels.

Pralhad Kumar Karki, undersecretary of the MoFALD, informed that a decision to this effect was taken by the September 6 meeting of the Council of Ministers.