Kathmandu: During a meeting of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee under the House of Representatives, parliamentarians raised concerns about the decisions made by the Ministry of Health and Population, stating that they were causing controversies. Committee Chair Bhanubhakta Joshi, along with other committee members, expressed displeasure over the absence of Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet.

The meeting, intended to review the half-yearly progress of the ministry's programs, details of capital expenditure, and efforts to address grievances, faced criticism from committee members due to the minister's absence. Despite attempts to establish contact with Minister Basnet, he was unavailable for the meeting.

Committee Chair Joshi emphasized that a plenary meeting of the committee would only be held in the presence of the Health Minister and directed the ministry to present its progress report to the committee. Members raised questions about the implementation of the committee's suggestions and instructions by the ministry, expressing frustration over the lack of action.

Committee member Dr. Toshima Karki demanded clarification regarding accusations and grievances against Minister Basnet, highlighting the minister's absence in the meeting where he was asked to provide clarification. Secretary Dr. Roshan Pokharel explained that the minister's absence was due to a busy schedule and acknowledged practical difficulties in implementing the ministry's programs without sufficient budget allocation. The committee members posed questions about various aspects, including healthcare services, human resources in the health sector, and the minister's foreign visits.