46 medical officers deployed to remote hospitals in Gandaki

The Gandaki provincial government has appointed 46 medical officers recommended by the Provincial Public Service Commission and deployed them to 14 hospitals across the province.

According to the provincial government, the doctors were assigned to hospitals based on their merit ranking. Hospitals in Himalayan districts such as Mustang and Manang had long lacked permanent medical officers.

The province's district hospitals had been running on doctors who had studied on scholarships or were kept on contract. It had even been difficult to find a permanent doctor to take charge as hospital chief.

At Syangja, Manang, Mustang and the Mother and Child Hospital, health assistants or staff nurses had been forced to take on the role of chief.

According to the provincial government, only about 10 medical officers were adjusted into Gandaki when federalism began. The number of doctors, including specialists, has now reached around 250, and nursing staff around 500, the provincial government said.

Previously, 15-bed district hospitals used to have only one specialist and two medical officers. According to the provincial government, those hospitals now have approved positions for 11 specialists and 12 medical officers.

The provincial government has upgraded several hospitals to provincial-level status and, on its own initiative, has also set up an infectious and communicable disease hospital.