KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population has directed hospitals and health institutions across the country to remove encroachment from hospital-owned land.

The ministry’s Internal Administration Division issued a circular on Wednesday instructing hospitals and institutions to immediately implement measures for the protection and preservation of land and physical infrastructure owned by hospitals.

Under the three-point directive, hospitals have first been instructed to verify land boundaries and submit detailed reports on any unauthorized structures built on the land.

Second, hospitals have been ordered to remove encroachments from land owned by the institutions by setting deadlines for the concerned individuals or organizations to vacate the areas.

Third, the ministry has instructed institutions to construct compound walls and adopt necessary security measures to prevent re-encroachment on cleared or vacant land.