BHAKTAPUR: The Ministry of Health has appointed Dr Kedar Narsingh KC as the Director of Officiating of Thimi-based National Tuberculosis Centre. He has assumed his office today itself.

Dr Sharat Chandra Verma, Center's erstwhile director had retired from his office last Friday due to age-limit.

Prior to this, KC was the physician at the Sundhara-based Central Jail in Kathmandu.

However, the government's decision to send KC to the centre has riled the centre staff who had earlier submitted a memorandum to the then Health Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa, demanding that senior consultant chest physician Dr Mohan Kumar Prasai be appointed the new director after the retirement of Verma.

Prasai has been serving at the Center for the past 3 decades.

Their concern is that newly appointed Officiating Director KC lacks professional knowledge about tuberculosis since he is not a chest physician.