Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s ill health and treatment in hospital has postponed several meetings, Cabinet meetings, policies, programmes and almost three dozen projects he was to inaugurate and lay foundation stone.

Last Monday PM Oli was admitted in hospital after he complained chest pain, fever and fatigue. The hospital discharged him after his health condition improved.

PM’s Press Adviser Kundan Aryal said, “The PM will resume gradually after recovering though doctors have advised him to take full rest at least for a month.”

He said all officials files that require PM’s approval and signature are taken to his residence in Baluwatar.

Senior officials at the Prime Minister Office said apart from other engagements and party programmes, in his absence several engagements and high-level meetings have been postponed. They did not mention when the next meeting would be held to resume those initiatives as doctors have advised the PM to take full rest.

After the hospital discharge PM Oli, he took part in two events on Wednesday despite doctors’ strict advice to avoid crowds and people to people contract for long time and take adequate rest. The PM went to the President’s Office on Wednesday to participate in a function organized by President Bidya Devi Bhandari to extend Tihar greetings to all leaders of the major political parties.

Next, he participated in an event to mark the 109th birth anniversary of poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota within the premises of the prime minister’s residence.

The PM was to chair the first meetings of the two recently formed think tanks. The government, in the third week of September had announced two separate thinks tanks - Policy Research Academy (Niti Anusandhan Pratisthan) and Industry Commerce Promotion Dialogue Council- led by the PM. The PM was expected to give directives including policy guidelines to both think tanks.

The government has already prepared and handed over the terms of references, offices and required staff to the academy, a five-member think tank led by Prof Chaitanya Mishra. Another think tank led by PM is about providing inputs on various trade and business related matters. It is yet to receive its working template from the PMO.

The PM was to inaugurate a dedicated app to monitor major projects prepared by the PMO. The app is designed to monitor progress of all projects related to road, infrastructure, energy, irrigation among others so that PM and other senior officials should do not have to hold review meetings frequently. This function has also postponed, said the officials.

The meeting of Inter Provincial Coordination Council is deferred too. Chief Ministers of all seven provinces have called on the PM and his office to hold the meeting to address the grievances and other issues between centre and the provinces.

The PMO has listed at least three dozen projects that are ready for inauguration. PM Oli was supposed to lay the foundation stones or inaugurate these projects.

PM’s Chief Adviser Bishnu Rimal and Chief Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi led two separate meetings to review the progress made by policies and programmes, infrastructure projects, road condition of Kathmandu valley, and progress of reconstruction of earthquake-damaged homes.

 “After Tihar festival, PM will return to work,” said Aryal.