Dr. Sudha Sharma Recommended as Minister of Health and Population
Former Health Secretary Dr. Sudha Sharma has been recommended for the position of Minister of Health and Population. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the names of Dr. Sharma and three others have been forwarded to the Office of the President.
The President’s Office has announced that the oath-taking ceremony for the four newly recommended ministers has been scheduled for 2:30 PM today.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki recommended the names today as part of the Cabinet expansion. The new ministers to be appointed are Dr. Sudha Sharma Gautam, Ganapati Lal Shrestha, Khagendra Sunar, and Bablu Gupta. Dr. Sharma Gautam has been assigned the Ministry of Health and Population, Sunar will lead the Ministry of Labor and Employment, and Gupta will take charge of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Shrestha has been given the responsibility of the Ministry of Land Reforms. Earlier, he was expected to be appointed as the Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.
Dr. Sharma is a former Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population. She began her career in 1982 at a district hospital and rose to the position of Secretary. She is the first and only woman to become President of the Nepal Medical Association, winning the position as an independent candidate.
She also played an active role during the People’s Movement of 2006 as the president of the association. She led protests through the professional organization PAPAD and played a leadership role in providing treatment to the injured.
Dr. Sharma resigned from her position before completing her full term as Health Secretary due to political interference by then Health Ministers Umakant Chaudhary and Rajendra Mahato. She believed it was inappropriate to continue amid prolonged conflict with political leadership. She has detailed her struggles in her memoir titled “Singhadarbar ko Ghumne Mech”.
She is not only a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology but also a public health expert. She has made significant contributions to clinical services, health systems, and quality healthcare.
Dr. Sharma is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK) and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health. She has held leadership roles in several national and international professional organizations, including Nepal Medical Association, Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NESOG), the South Asian Federation, and the Asia-Oceania Federation Education Committee.
She has received numerous national and international awards, including the FIGO Woman of the Year Award, for her contributions to women’s health.
She has also served as an advisor to various UN agencies, WHO, and international organizations. She worked as Director and Professor at Paropakar Maternity Hospital and later served as Head of the Health and Nutrition Department at UNICEF Tanzania.
During her tenure, she contributed to major initiatives such as the Health Sector Strategic Plan, the National Nutrition Strategy, the Big Results Now initiative, and the Global Financing Facility. Most recently, she led the development of the Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Roadmap 2030 as an advisor to the Ministry of Health and Population and DFID.
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