In the National Assembly of Nepal, Dil Kumari Rawal Thapa, also known as Parvati Rawal, a lawmaker representing the CPN-UML party, has raised concerns regarding the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Population and the World Health Organization (WHO) for health programs in Nepal. She has also highlighted allegations of political favoritism in WHO Nepal’s appointments.
Parvati Rawal pointed out a previously successful program organized by the Ministry of Health and Population and WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program involved briefing representatives from all levels of government, including parliamentary, provincial, and local members, about the pandemic. While the program was highly effective, the collaboration among WHO, the Ministry of Health and Population, and people’s representatives did not continue beyond the pandemic. Rawal questioned why such a program was abandoned and whether the Ministry of Health takes responsibility for this lapse.
She mentioned that WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had praised the program, which was also discussed at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Rawal expressed concerns about alleged political favoritism in appointments within WHO Nepal, suggesting that appointments were made to secure government awards for the organization.
Rawal also raised questions about whether the Ministry of Health conducted an audit of WHO Nepal’s practices during the COVID-19 period to address these complaints. She emphasized that WHO should not directly conduct health programs in Nepal, as the government should have oversight over the budget allocated to Nepal for health programs.
According to Rawal, allowing WHO to directly implement health programs in Nepal could result in a significant portion of the budget going to foreign countries in the form of salaries and perks for foreign employees. She stressed that the government should have a say in WHO’s hiring for Nepal programs to prevent political favoritism. Rawal cautioned that if WHO continued to run health programs in Nepal and made appointments based on political favoritism, it would contradict its goal of promoting healthy citizens.
