Pradip Paudel
Pradip Paudel MP | |
|---|---|
| प्रदिप पौडेल | |
 | |
| Minister of Health and Population of Nepal | |
| Assumed office 15 July 2024 | |
| President | Ram Chandra Poudel |
| Prime Minister | KP Sharma Oli |
| Preceded by | Pradeep Yadav |
| Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha | |
| Assumed office 22 December 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Ishwar Pokhrel |
| Constituency | Kathmandu 5 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 March 1975 Tanahun District, Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepali |
| Political party | Nepali Congress |
Pradip Paudel (Nepali: प्रदिप पौडेल) is a Nepali politician serving as the Minister of Health and Population in the cabinet led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.[1][2] He has been a Central Committee Member of Nepali Congress (NC) Party since 2014 and Member of Parliament (MP) from Kathmandu 5 since 2022.[3][4][5] Paudel is from Tanahun, and began his political career with the Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the NC.
Political career
Paudel started his political career as a Nepal Student Union (NSU) leader at the Amrit Campus in Kathmandu.[6] He was first elected as a Free Student Union president in 1996. From 2000-2002, he served as a central committee member of the NSU. He was subsequently elected as the vice president of Nepal Student Union for three consecutive terms from 2002-2007, after which he served as president of the Nepal Student Union from 2007 to 2012.[7]
In September 17, 2014, then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala appointed Paudel as a member of the NC Central Committee, bringing him to the forefront of national politics within the Congress Party.[5]
In the 2017 Nepali Provincial Elections, Paudel placed his candidacy from Tanahun-2(A) for the Provincial Assembly of Gandaki Province. However, he lost the office by five votes to Asha Koirala of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).[8]
In the 14th general convention of the NC held from December 13–15, 2021, Paudel ran for the office of General Secretary of the NC under the panel led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, however he lost the election to two youth politicians Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma.[9] He was once again appointed Central Committee Member of the NC party President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
In the 2022 Nepalese general election, he was elected as the member of the 2nd Federal Parliament of Nepal.[10] He eventually supported the candidacy of Gagan Thapa for parliamentary party leader in the NC against Sher Bahadur Deuba voicing the need for youth and change in national politics.[11][12]
Minister of Health (2024 - Present)
Paudel was appointed Minister of Health and Population on 15 July 2024 in the cabinet of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.[13] During his tenure, he announced plans to operationalise approximately 700 basic hospitals nationwide from 17 July 2025, supported by an annual recruitment of 2,500 health personnel and dedicated budget allocations.[14] He has prioritised the modernisation of federal hospitals through extended outpatient services, online appointment systems, and digital health integration linking health records with national identity systems.[15]
Paudel has also prioritised improving coordination between the federal, provincial, and local levels for healthcare delivery. His ministry has advanced plans to strengthen supply chain systems for essential medicines and medical equipment, and to expand telemedicine services in rural and mountainous regions.[16] He has promoted the integration of various health databases to improve disease surveillance and resource allocation.[13] Under his leadership, the Ministry has introduced measures to streamline public procurement in the health sector and to develop standard treatment guidelines aimed at reducing disparities in care across the country.[14] Paudel has also overseen public awareness campaigns on preventive healthcare, nutrition, and maternal and child health, in line with the government's broader public health objectives.[16]
Electoral History
| Tanahun 2(B) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
| CPN (Maoist Centre) | Asha Koirala | 16,646 | |
| Nepali Congress | Pradip Paudel | 16,641 | |
| CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Sobha Thapa Magar | 1,039 | |
| Others | 1,395 | ||
| Invalid votes | 1,357 | ||
| Result | Maoist Centre gain | ||
| Source: Election Commission | |||
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepali Congress | 15,269 | 34.45 | ||
| Ishwor Pokharel | CPN (UML) | 10,190 | 22.99 | |
| Pranaya Shamsher Rana | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 5,477 | 12.36 | |
| Ram Prasda Upreti | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | 3,162 | 7.14 | |
| Shreeram Gurung | Independent | 2,761 | 6.23 | |
| Hemraj Thapa | Independent | 2,446 | 5.52 | |
| Sushant Shrestha | Independent | 1,712 | 3.86 | |
| Shailesh Dangol | Nepal Workers Peasants Party | 1,122 | 2.53 | |
| Others | 2,177 | 4.91 | ||
| Total | 44,316 | 100.00 | ||
| Majority | 5,079 | |||
| Nepali Congress gain | ||||
| Source: [17] | ||||
See also
References
- ^ "नवनियुक्त १९ मन्त्रीद्वारा शपथ ग्रहण". GorakhaPatra. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ "Prime Minister Oli forms 22-member Cabinet". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ NepalNews, Nepal. "3 nominated as Congress central members". nepalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ "Nepali Congress' Pradip Paudel elected from Kathmandu-5". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ a b "नेविसंघका ६ जना पूर्व अध्यक्षहरु अटाउदा विश्व प्रकाश शर्मा अटाएनन् । – Youth, Politics & Nepal". Retrieved 2019-11-18.
- ^ "Hopes for health: Pradip Poudel takes charge as health minister - OnlineKhabar English News". 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ "नेविसंघको ४८ वर्ष ११ महाधिवेशन, १८ सभापति". Naya Patrika (in Nepali). Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ^ "NC's Paudel moves SC, demanding election re-run". myrepublica. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Thapa, Sharma win Congress general secretary posts". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ Republica. "Results of 165 HoR seats declared, NC wins highest 57". My Republica. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ "Shekhar group calls meeting; Bishwa Prakash and Pradip invited". en.nepalkhabar.com. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ Setopati. "Pradip Paudel supports Thapa's candidacy for NC parliamentary party leader". Setopati. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ a b "Hon. Pradip Paudel Bio - Ministerial Roundtable on Health and CRVS" (PDF). UNESCAP. 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ a b Shrestha, Prakash (27 June 2025). "Minister Paudel commits to operationalising basic hospitals from July 17". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Health Minister Paudel reaffirms Nepal's commitment to advancing digital health". Public Service Broadcasting, Radio Nepal. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
RadionepalDigitalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची". Election Commission of Nepal.