President Bidhya Devi Bhandari issued “The COVID-19 Risk Management Ordinance, 2078 BS” right after the Nepal Government recommended its issuance. The ordinance has directed the government to operate the COVID unified hospital and provides the space to declare a health emergency.
Bir Hospital is assumed as the Central COVID-19 Unified Hospital under the Ministry of Health and Population in the ordinance. The ordinance includes provisions such as partial closure, control and issuing orders during the period of COVID-19. The ordinance has also ensured the unified prevention, control and treatment system under the Ministry of Health and Population.
The government has introduced a new law to address the COVID-19 risk management for the first time. Realizing the gap in coordination among the health and other responsible institutions from central to the local level in COVID-19 response, the government has issued this ordinance which will be helpful in COVID-19 risk management including prevention and treatment. According to the ordinance, the entire system will be headed by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health will be responsible for the leading health sector.
The ordinance has guaranteed the mobilization of a team to control COVID-19 quickly by mobilizing the security agencies including the police if necessary. It has also ensured the rights of better treatment arrangement for a needy patient who is receiving treatment in any hospitals.
The ordinance also scoped for hotlines numbers to provide contact to those needy people and orders the authority to provide the appropriate response to the beneficiaries. It has been mentioned that the vaccine and emergency health requirements can be brought to Nepal without any delay applying the fast track purchase as per the ordinance.
It is mentioned that if anyone obstructs to do any work as per the ordinance, s/he will be imprisoned for one year or fined up to five hundred thousand or both. Failure to comply with the criteria issued under the ordinance will result in imprisonment for up to six months or a fine of up to three hundred thousand or both.
The ordinance, which is provisioned in 6 paragraphs and 42 articles, has been approved on June 20 is in implementation. Earlier to this, the Government of Nepal was using the other laws Infectious Disease Act 2020 (1984) and the Local Administration Act 2028 (1971).