The Health Service Department is sending out 72 doctors to district hospitals and primary health care centres in areas where there is a shortage of medical officers. These medical students, who completed their medical studies on scholarships, have to practice in government hospitals for two years for their degrees to be recognised.

Dr Yashovardhan Pradhan, General Manager of the Department, says that the department has a strict policy not to send doctors to areas that already have one. In order to ensure that rural areas benefit from the presence of doctors, the Department has focused on the far west and some districts of the Himalayan region. Rolpa, Rukum, Doti, Bajhang, Bajura, Kalikot, Jumla, and Humla are some such districts without doctors. Each student has been personally interviewed by Pradhan and though female doctors were allowed to choose a district, five still opted to go to the far western rural areas. The doctors will be paid Rs 25,000 per month.

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