The Ministry of Health (MoH) has sealed around 20 health facilities which were operating illegally, as crackdown continues on illegal clinics.

In Kathmandu alone, six dental and polyclinics were sealed on Wednesday on the third day of ministry’ campaign against illegal health facilities. They were either not registered with the District Public Health Office or had not renewed their licenses.

A total of 14 such illegally-run clinics have been shut in the past three days.

Similarly, in Lalitpur, Ortho-Neuro Rehabilitation Centre was sealed on Wednesday. Other five clinics in the district have been asked to shut up shop until further notice.  The MoH and district authorities have intensified monitoring of clinics following direction from Minister for Health Gagan Thapa.

Following a deluge of complaints, Minister Thapa had ordered intense monitoring of clinics.

“We are now solely focusing on their registration process. Hence, the clinics that are sealed were found to be operating illegally, putting lives of people at risk,” said Dr Bhola Ram Shrestha, chief of Curative Service Division.

The MoH has issued “Guidelines on Standards of Health Facility Establishment, Operation and Upgradation, 2014” that sets out series of facilities to be made available before the clinics can operate.