KATHMANDU, MAY 18
The government has amended the Security of Health Workers and Health Organisations Act, 2010, to ensure safety and security of health personnel and health institutions via remedial actions against incidents of frequent attacks on them over the death of patients in the course of medical treatment.
The amendment notice published in the Nepal Gazette earlier this week prohibits picketing, manhandling or misbehaving with any health worker on the issue of medical treatment, obstructing delivery of health services, padlocking health institutions, and destroying, torching, and vandalising any health institution. As per the amendment, if any person or group commit(s) such act against any health worker or health institution, the health worker or health institution concerned may request the local administration for security arrangement. If the request for security is made, the local administration should make such arrangement immediately.
The amendment stipulates an 11-member health worker and health institution security coordination committee headed by a 12th level official of the Ministry of Health and Population to carry out functions related to the security of health workers and health institutions in a coordinated manner.
The functions, duties and powers of the committee are to approve and implement plans and programmes related to the security of health workers and health institutions, maintain coordination among the concerned bodies, and provide compensation to the affected patients or their kin in case of negligence proved in a court, among others. The amendment has made a provision of health worker and health institution security fund.
As per the amendment, any person who commits any offence in contravention of the law will be liable to imprisonment for a term ranging from two to five years or a fine not exceeding Rs 500,000 or both.
Similarly, compensation will be recovered from the offender(s) if any harm is caused to health personnel and health institutions.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
