Kathmandu: Nepal's Minister for Health and Population, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, has stated that action will be taken against anyone found to have knowingly made mistakes in the death of a young girl at Kanti Children's Hospital.

The incident involved the alleged lack of timely treatment for five-year-old Rejisha Gopali, who had been suffering from persistent vomiting and fever. Instead of promptly attending to her, hospital staff directed her mother and grandfather to obtain a ticket and wait their turn, according to reports.

Minister Basnet, who returned from Cairo, Egypt, after attending the International Conference on Population, Health, and Development, expressed his concern and commitment to addressing the issue. While he was away, he closely monitored the situation and instructed the Secretary to establish an investigation committee. He emphasized that action would be taken against any wrongdoing.

During the conference in Egypt, discussions centered on the adverse effects of population migration and haphazard settlements on public health, along with potential solutions to these problems. Minister Basnet pointed out that resolving these issues would contribute to holistic development in conjunction with improvements in the health and population sector.

He also mentioned that his Egyptian counterpart expressed a commitment to host the same program next year due to its significance. At the conference, Minister Basnet met with health ministers from various countries, representatives of donor agencies, and political leaders. He used this opportunity to discuss strategic topics and, in his capacity as the government representative and health minister, lobbied for the candidacy of Nepal's public health expert, Dr. Shambhu Acharya, for the position of Regional Director of WHO for the South-East Asia Region. The WHO South-East Asia Region conference is scheduled for next month.

Minister Basnet had traveled to Cairo on September 4 to participate in the International Conference on Population and Development, which took place from September 5 to 8.