Health Ministry warns 400 staff over failure to report to duty in assigned stations

KATHMANDU, June 12: The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has warned that it will take action against 400 employees who were transferred to federal hospitals and subordinate offices but failed to report to their new postings.

According to Krishna Acharya, head of the MoHP’s Administration Department, warning letters have already been sent to the concerned employees, mostly on Wednesday.

Administrative Officer Binod Dhakal stated that the letters mention that if the employees do not report to their assigned hospitals within three days, they will be recalled to the ministry, and any benefits or allowances received will be recovered.

Dhakal explained that the trend of employees not collecting their transfer letters or reporting to duty, and instead taking study or deputation leave to remain in various hospitals in the capital, has disrupted service delivery in federal hospitals in remote areas as well as inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley.

“Just today, we received a complaint from Sukraraj Hospital about the absence of a radiologist,” he said. Due to the growing number of complaints from hospitals, a second round of warning letters has been issued.

The MoHP’s Administration Department has stated that the trend of staff from Kathmandu-based Kanti Children’s Hospital and Sukraraj Tropical Hospital going on deputation to nearby federal hospitals is creating additional problems.

Dhakal said many healthcare workers and employees assigned to remote and out-of-Valley federal hospitals are either on deputation or study leave and are crowding into large hospitals like Bir Hospital. “Most of them have clustered at Bir hospital,” he added.

He said complaints are frequently received about essential health services being disrupted because staff either refuse to go to remote postings or, if they do, soon return to the capital on long-term study leave or deputation—sometimes for as long as six years.

According to Dhakal, the mass concentration of health workers in Kathmandu has left some hospitals understaffed, affecting services. “For instance, if a surgeon posted at a hospital chooses to remain in the capital, surgery services at the original hospital are directly impacted,” he explained.

The issue persists as health workers deployed to remote areas report to duty only to immediately apply for study leave, creating a shortage of manpower. Ministry spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki stated that employees who ignore the warning letters will face disciplinary action.