The Ministry of Health and Population has issued a press release outlining arrangements to keep health services continuous and effective following the government’s decision to introduce two consecutive public holidays on Saturday and Sunday. The ministry said hospitals and other concerned health institutions must organize their services so that patients are not adversely affected by the new holiday arrangement.

Hospitals have been instructed to provide OPD services on Sundays based on their workload and available human resources. To manage staffing, employees should receive two days of weekly leave, including Saturday and one additional day during the week. Where providing the additional leave is not immediately possible because of service requirements, hospitals have been asked to provide compensatory leave instead.

The ministry has also requested the ministries responsible for health affairs in all seven provinces to implement the same arrangement in provincial hospitals. The directive is intended to ensure that essential and routine hospital services remain accessible while accommodating the government’s revised public-holiday system.