Health ministry should get all money collected as taxes from tobacco products: Minister Basnet

The Ministry of Health and Population should claim all amounts of money collected as taxes from tobacco products, according to the line minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet. So, the Ministry should get around Rs 6 billion collected as taxes from tobacco products, he said while responding to quarries raised in today’s meeting of the National Assembly, during deliberations on various headings under the Appropriation Bill, 2080 BS.

It received only Rs 4 billion collected as taxes from tobacco products, he said.

The amounts received as taxes could be used on adding quotas of doctors and health workers, he viewed.

“The ministry lacks less than one-fourth quotas. The ministry had 33,000 quotas some 22 years ago. Now it has only 31,000 quotas.”
He stressed the need for managing physical infrastructures and human resources to expand health services. The appointment of employees rampantly has created problems, he said.

He also pledged to strictly implement the seven-point direction relating to the operation management of doctors and health workers.
On making arrangements to provide healthcare to VVIPs at home, the minister said preparations were underway to create a group of specialist doctors on the matter.

“A group of specialist doctors will be formed at all seven provinces and the federal level. The team in the first place attends to VVIPs, and they are allowed to foreign countries for medical treatment only on the recommendation of the team,” he said.

There is a need to make new policies in addressing the poor production of nurses, paramedics and doctors due to the National Medical Education Bill, he stressed. He also informed the House about the implementation of the free 10 percent hospital beds allocation at the federal level.