KATHMANDU, Dec 22: Two secretaries are head to head at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) since last Tuesday. There is only one room for the office of secretary at the MoHP.
According to the nameplate hung outside the office, Kedar Bahadur Adhikari is the secretary. But inside the office, it's Dr Pushpa Chaudhari who 'occupies' the desk of the secretary, keeping a Supreme Court order on the table that 'reinstated' her to the post. “I have come to the office and will stay here during the office time,” said Dr Chaudhari.
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“Secretary Adhikari had also come to the office but he left after a while,” she added. “However, I am yet to resume my duties at the ministry. Health Minister Upendra Yadav is yet to assign me work.”
Minister for Health and Population, Yadav has not come to his office for the last some days. “I wonder when Minister Yadav will come to the office and assign me work,” said Dr Chaudhari.
The health ministry has two secretaries for the past few days - Secretary Adhikari who the government transferred to the health ministry from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) recently by transferring health secretary Dr Chaudhari to the PMO, and Dr Chaudhari who challenged the government decision at the court and got a decision in her favor.
The government on December 9 transferred PMO Secretary Adhikari to the health ministry and Secretary Adhikari started attending the health secretary's office at MoHP from December 10. However, conducting a hearing on the petition filed against the government decision by Dr Chaudhari, the SC on December 18 issued an order against the government not to transfer her to the PMO.
