KATHMANDU, Sept 10: Health Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa on Saturday said all influential political leaders and VVIPs should seek medical treatment within the country. 

Thapa's statement comes amid recent reports of influential political leaders and VVIPs opting for expensive foreign medical treatment, emptying state coffer. 

If the state continues to practise the trend of allocating budget for only foreign medical treatment for VVIPs, this practice is discriminatory, minister Thapa noted. 

Inaugurating a greenery park in Gopikrishna Nagar in Chabahil, he said "All citizens are equal to the state. The government is covering medical bills and bills for other expenses for those going for foreign medical treatment like in India, the United States of America and Singapore. On the other hand, commoners have to pay their medical bills by selling off land and other valuables they have. Such trend is not bearable." 

In order to attract VVIPs towards domestic health institutions, he offered a concept of opening a well-equipped room in hospitals within the country. 

Similarly, lawmaker Rameshwor Phuyal, at the event, said he would help carry out reforms in environmental and health sector staying in the opposition. He also presented his future plan to plant 2,000 saplings of bar-peepal tree in Kathmandu valley. 

Also, Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development Dipendra Nath Sharma informed that construction works in the Dhobi Khola corridor would initiate after monsoon. 

The park spreading on 26 anas land was constructed on the initiatives of the community welfare development committee at the cost of around Rs 2 million. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Constituency Development Fund funded the project. RSS 

 
• health minister
 
• gagan kumar thapa
 
• medical treatment
 
• vvip