01/06/2026
Incremental gains or persistent neglect in the budget for healthcare workers?
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Positive steps in the 2026/27 budget
3. Shortcomings: The medical blindspot
4. Broader context and deepening implications
💥 Highlights:
👉🏻 Nisha Mehta, a Nepali politician and nurse, currently serving as the Minister of Health and Food Security in B***n Shah’s Cabinet, has been heavily criticised for her bias towards nurses and for turning a blind eye to doctors and other healthcare professionals.
👉🏻 In public statements following the budget announcement, Nepal Medical Association officials expressed profound frustration explicitly in press releases, noting that while the government eagerly builds local municipal hospitals, it treats the procurement of human capital as an afterthought.
Ministry of Health and Population-Nepal | Sandesh Lamsal | Shraddha Lamsal | | Nepal Medical Council | PMO Nepal | Swarnim Waglé | Dr. Toshima Karki Secretariat | Lekhjung Thapa Et al.
Read our analysis of the budget of FY 2083-84👇🏻
The healthcare system in Nepal is in dire need of an institutional change. For years, the country has grappled with severe shortages of medical doctors, especially in rural outposts, due to the unprecedented surge in healthcare professionals’ migration, although overproduction. Medical doctors’ ...