KATHMANDU, Nov 12: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has opened applications for 27 medical officers and 5 food experts.
In a notice issued on Saturday, KMC called for applications from individuals with an MBBS degree for the eighth-level medical officer positions. These doctors will be engaged in contractual roles for the urban health promotion centers.
Similarly, the metropolis has requested a food expert for the lab it is going to operate. The Metropolitan City has asked for 2 microbiologists at the seventh level and 3 food technologists.
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Dr Awadhesh Jha, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock at the metropolis, stated that KMC is taking the initiative to hire its own staff to assess the quality of food.
"We operate the lab ourselves and take action based on the monitoring reports generated by the metropolis. Currently, we are functioning through the Food Technology and Quality Control Department, and the experts will serve as food inspectors," explained Dr Jha.
On August 28, 2022, the Executive Committee of Kathmandu Metropolis had decided to appoint food inspectors for monitoring food items. Mayor Balendra Shah proposed the appointment of 5 food inspectors with a master's degree in food technology, which was approved in the executive meeting. However, Dr Jha mentioned that due to the perceived scarcity of qualified post-graduate manpower, the notice was issued specifying graduation as the qualification.
The metropolis intends to conduct regular monitoring of meat and food stores with the assistance of the appointed food inspectors.
