Kathmandu, October 28

The government’s directive to state-run hospitals across the country to set up their own pharmacies is likely to become ineffective with the Office of the Prime Minister sending a letter directing the Ministry of Health not to remove privately-owned pharmacies.

“We have been informed to hold the decision to remove privately-owned pharmacies from the state-run hospitals,” informed Dr Bhola Ram Shrestha, chief of the Curative Service Division at the Ministry of Health.

Therefore, the pharmacies run by Sajha Health Services will be running on hospital premises. In a bid to make medicines affordable to patients, the government had directed state-run hospitals set up their own pharmacies earlier.