Kathmandu: At a time when the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has created panic across the globe, the Ministry of Health and Population has transferred Anup Bastola, director at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital.
The Health Ministry was supposed to prepare for the new variant, but Birodh Khatiwada, the health minister, transferred Bastola, responsible for the treatment of Covid-19 patients at the only infectious disease hospital in the capital.
The decision to transfer Bastola to SAARC TB and HIV/AIDS Centre has been widely criticized even by the Health Ministry officials and the general public.
Bastola is the only infectious disease expert under the Ministry of Health and Population. “It is a shame that the only infectious disease hospital in Kathmandu is without an infectious disease expert. How can the ministry justify this irresponsible transfer?” questioned Dr Baburam Marasini, a former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.
After Dr Bastola is transferred, Dr Manisha Rawal, chief consultant, has been appointed as the new director.
This is not the first time the Health Minister has been criticized for its “immature decisions” during the pandemic.
Although the health minister defended the move saying transfer of doctors is a regular process, some officials at the ministry have alleged Minister Khatiwada of getting financial gain in the transfer process.
This is not the first time the Health Minister has been criticized for its “immature decisions” during the pandemic.
Last year, during the first wave of the pandemic, the Health Ministry asked for clarifications from Dr Sher Bahadur Pun of Teku Hospital for commenting on the government’s sluggish approach in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Bastola was appointed as the director of the hospital some five months ago. In this period, he has worked in improving the services at the hospital like OPD expansion, hospital waste management, among others.
A hospital staff told Nepal Live Today that it was a wrong decision to transfer Dr Bastola, who worked extremely hard to improve services at the Teku Hospital during the pandemic.
“He was working to make the Teku Hospital a better health institution. He had plans to improve the capacity of the hospital. The ministry did not let him work,” the staff said, adding, “The only infectious disease hospital is without an infectious disease expert.”
The staff further added that some doctors are unhappy with the working style of Dr Bastola. “They (doctors) might have lobbied to transfer him,” the staff added.
Dr Bastola, however, refused to comment on his transfer.
“The transfer of Dr Bastola shows the negligence of the government in Covid-19 response. The new variant has created panic globally, but the Teku Hospital is without an infectious disease expert,” Dr Marasini added.
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