Kathmandu: The Ministry of Health and Population’s proposal to transform Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital into a Development Committee has been approved by the Cabinet meeting.

In a meeting held on Thursday, the Cabinet approved the proposal regarding the establishment of the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, submitted by Health and Population Minister Pradip Paudel. Previously operated by the Nepal Cancer Relief Society, the hospital was taken over by the government, but more than 300 hospital employees were unable to benefit from career development opportunities due to the absence of a regulatory framework.

To address this issue, Minister Paudel had announced plans to convert the hospital into a Development Committee. Within a month of his announcement, the problem faced by Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital employees has been resolved.

With the government’s decision, all employees of the hospital will now be under the Development Committee, which will allow them to pursue career growth that had been stalled for a long time. Following the Cabinet’s approval of the Development Committee, the hospital can now create regulations to facilitate employee development. This move also creates a favorable environment for the ministry to deploy the necessary healthcare workforce to the hospital.

Additionally, the Cabinet meeting also approved the Ministry of Health’s proposal to appoint Dr. Ajit Rayamajhi as the Vice-Chairman of the Nepal Health Research Council for a four-year term. Dr. Rayamajhi has previously served as the Director of Kanti Hospital twice and is a Professor and Coordinator of the Pediatrics Department at the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS).

Dr. Rayamajhi is also the Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of NAMS and a member of the Academic Council. He completed his MBBS from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, his MD from BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, and his PhD from the University of Liverpool, UK.