KATHMANDU, Jan 17: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MP Toshima Karki has been given the responsibility of Minister of State for Health and Population.

She is somebody who has been raising her voice for the improvement of the medical field for a long time. Her political journey started with the November 20 elections. She was elected from Lalitpur Constituency No. 3 from the RSP.

She won by defeating CPN (Maoist Center) Deputy Secretary General and the then Minister for Energy Pampha Bhusal with a margin of 22,367 votes. She came into limelight by defeating her rivals Amrit Khadka of the CPN-UML, besides Bhusal.

Earlier, after she filed her candidacy on September 13th, the Election Commission scrapped her candidature saying that she had not given up her position as a member of the Medical Council. But the Supreme Court gave an interim order on November 1 upholding her candidacy.

She said before the election, “After winning the election, I will become the voice of those who cannot speak, I will fight for ensuring fundamental rights and I will always stand against exploitation, injustice, tyranny and violence.”

Dr Karki's profession also belongs to the health sector. Before she became the Minister of State, she was working as a General Surgeon in Patan Hospital. She is the daughter of father Padam Bahadur Karki and mother Deepa Karki. She was born in the year 1989.

Dr. Karki is a permanent resident of Adinath Village, Nakhkhu Khola Marg, Lalitpur Ward No. 18. She studied up to Class 10 in Shaheed Dharmabhakta School, Nakkhu and completed Class 11 and 12 from Modern Indian School, Chobhar. She completed her MBBS from Kist Medical College, Lalitpur and did her Masters in General Surgery from Kathmandu University (KU).

For over a decade, Dr Karki has been a leader in medical education and healthcare services, as well as being involved in civil rights issues. In 2014 and 2015, she led movements of intern doctors and medical students to combat violence in medical colleges, helped reduce physical attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers, and led the "Save Medical Fraternity Movement" for several years. As a result of her efforts, an amendment was passed that includes the concept of "jail without bail" in the Act on Health Institutions and Health Worker Safety.

During the earthquake, she also led health and relief camps in Sindhupalchok, Batase, Ramechhap, Nuwakot, Salme, Lalitpur and other remote places such as Durlung. Similarly, during cold weather, she led the 'Warm in winter' campaign in Sunsari, Inaruwa, Rautahat, where floods and landslides swept away houses and farms. She also conducted 'relief and rescue' programs and health camps in various settlements of  Saptari, Susta, Inaruwa in Terai.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she played a role in facilitating the provision of health materials, oxygen cylinders and home isolation to the general public, as well as managing safety materials for the health workers while on continuous duty.

She was elected as a central member of the Nepal Medical Council after receiving overwhelming votes in the Nepal Medical Council elections on November 28, 2021, with the support of doctors from all over the country. She resigned on December 5, 2022 after becoming a Member of Parliament.

She was active in social justice and anti-corruption movements. Karki,who was not affiliated with any political party in the past, once asked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in BBC's ‘Sajha Sawal’ as to when the demands of Dr Gvinda KC regarding the reforms in the health sector would be fulfilled. Now she has reached a position where she has to answer the same question. 

 
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