There is no room for favoritism towards the Health Minister in the appointment of a secretary: Health Minister Pradeep Poudel, an administration expert, says:
The appointment of the secretary was made by the Council of Ministers, and it is not unusual for one of the three recommended candidates to be selected.
Kathmandu: The government has appointed Dr. Bikash Devkota as Health Secretary. Devkota was appointed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The promotion committee had recommended the names of Dr. Sangita Kaushal Mishra, Dr. Devkota and Dr. Tanka Barakoti for the appointment of the new secretary. The same recommendation was taken by the Ministry of General Administration to the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday. From the same recommendation, Dr. Devkata was appointed as the secretary.
How is the Health Secretary appointed?
Section 19 of the Nepal Health Service Act, 2053 BS, contains provisions regarding the appointment of secretaries, which stipulate that employees working at the twelfth level of health services and having worked at the eleventh level for at least five years can be appointed as the secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population based on seniority and performance evaluation.
Thus, looking at the provisions of this act, all three recommended secretaries are equally eligible for appointment. Devkota entered the government service in 2053 and Barakoti in 2056, while Mishra, who entered the health service in 2057, had a ‘gap’ in between and returned to the government service in 2070.
It is not unusual to choose one of three equals: Administration expert
Experts in the administration sector say that since the decision is made by the Council of Ministers on the recommendation of the promotion committee and the proposal of the Ministry of General Administration, there is no room for blaming the Health Minister. An expert said, “One person was selected from the three people – Devkota who was appointed, Barakoti and Mishra who were not appointed. It is immature to make noise as if it was made from outside, and even more so to blame the minister is childish. It is not strange to choose one of the three people.”
The Council of Ministers made a decision on the proposal of the Ministry of General Administration, there is no room for favoritism towards the Health Minister in this regard: Health Minister Pradeep Poudel
Health Minister Pradeep Poudel has said that he has no role in the appointment of the secretary as the Council of Ministers will decide on the recommendation of the promotion committee and the proposal of the Ministry of General Administration. He said, “The Health Minister has no role in the appointment of the secretary. The promotion committee recommended, the Ministry of General Administration proposed and the Council of Ministers decided. There is no room for the Health Minister to give any favors or disrespect in this.”
Meanwhile, Mishra, who was working as an additional secretary but could not become a secretary, expressed dissatisfaction saying that her junior was made secretary. The secretary was appointed after the then secretary Dr. Roshan Pokharel retired due to age limit on February 21.
Prime Minister Oli was not positive towards Mishra.
Dr. Mishra, who is also a former Director General of the Department of Health Services, was also not convinced by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
An official from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers said that health workers have been complaining that Mishra is neglecting coordination between ministries and departments. “There were serious complaints from his colleagues about him, and junior employees had also complained, and on that basis, the Prime Minister chose another competitor,” the official said.