Kathmandu: Health and Population Minister Nisha Mehta has come under scrutiny after appointing Junu Shrestha, the wife of Labour Minister Dipakumar Shah, as a member of the Health Insurance Board, despite her previous suspension for repeatedly missing meetings.
Shrestha, who was removed after skipping 11 board meetings, has now been reinstated to the same position, raising questions about accountability and governance.
Shrestha was originally appointed to the board in November 2023 by then Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet for a four-year term. However, her tenure was cut short due to disciplinary action linked to her absence from meetings. Although the term was meant to run until 2027, she had served only about three and a half years before being suspended.
Officials at the Ministry of Health confirmed that Shrestha has been appointed again to fill a vacant board position for another four-year term. A senior ministry official stated that the appointment was made without consideration of personal affiliations, saying they did not investigate her background or connections.
Interestingly, sources within the Health Insurance Board say that neither board officials nor staff were aware of her reappointment, even though she had previously served in the same role. According to the Health Insurance Act, a board member can be suspended and the position vacated if they miss three consecutive meetings without notice. Shrestha’s earlier removal followed this provision, yet her reappointment has sparked criticism.
The development has drawn political attention, particularly as the government led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had campaigned on promises of good governance and merit-based appointments. Party chair Ravi Lamichhane had previously urged politically appointed officials to step down to allow space for reform. Critics argue that this appointment contradicts those commitments and echoes past practices of nepotism that the party had vowed to end.
As the issue gained traction on social media, Shrestha publicly denied the reports, claiming she had neither received an appointment letter nor accepted any such position. In a statement, she said she had no involvement in the matter and had not been officially informed.
However, ministry sources maintain that a decision to appoint her was made on Monday, and that the formal process of issuing the appointment letter may still be underway. Shrestha, meanwhile, reiterated that her original appointment in 2023 was valid through 2027 and insisted that any claims of a new appointment are misleading and beyond her knowledge.
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