Nepal’s Health Ministry Proposes New Organizational Structure

The Ministry of Health and Population has proposed a new organizational structure, which includes the removal of the additional secretary post at the 12th level.

According to the proposed structure, the ministry will be led by a secretary, with three main divisions and a health emergency and disaster management unit.

The current structure has an additional secretary post, which is held by Dr. Sangita Kaushal Mishra and Dr. Shree Krishna Shrestha. However, the new proposal does not include this post, indicating that it may be abolished.

New Divisions and Units

The proposed structure includes three main divisions: policy, planning, and public health coordination; health, food safety, and drug quality regulation; and administration and information technology.

The policy, planning, and public health coordination division will have three sub-divisions: policy, planning, and budget; monitoring, evaluation, and research; and health coordination, population, and information management.

The health, food safety, and drug quality regulation division will have three sub-divisions: health institution standards and quality regulation; medical services, education, and alternative medicine; and food and drug quality regulation.

The administration and information technology division will have four sub-divisions: administration and human resource management; financial administration; law; and information technology and e-health.

Staffing and Next Steps

The proposed structure includes a total of 1,806 positions, including staff for the private secretariat and secretariat.

However, the final decision on the removal of the additional secretary post has not been made yet, according to a ministry source.

Deputy Secretary Dibas Acharya said that the proposed structure is one of several drafts that have been prepared and has been sent to the general ministry for approval.

‘The ministry has prepared a draft of the proposed new organizational structure and sent it to the general ministry,’ Acharya said. ‘It needs to be approved by the Council of Ministers before it can be implemented.’