Unless the subject or the context otherwise requires, in this Act,-
(a) “health service” means the Nepal health service constituted pursuant to Section 3;
(b) “employee” means any person who is holding a post of the health service;
(c) “integrated medical officer” means a person who, having acquired master’s degree on Auyrved and Aellopathic from a recognized educational institute, is holding a post of the health service, after getting his/her name registered in the Ayurved Medical Council, and this term includes a person whose name is registered after the formation of the Ayurved Medical Council where the Council was not yet formed at the time of commencement of this Act;
(d) “Authority” means any official with powers to make appointments pursuant to Section 11;
(e) “family” means the husband, wife, son, unmarried daughter, adopted son, unmarried adopted daughter, father, mother or step mother living together with an employee and whom he/she himself/herself has to maintain and subsist, and this term also  includes his or her grandfather, grandmother in the case of a male and unmarried female employee, 1 and her mother-in-law, father-in-law, in the case of a married 2 female employee;
(f) “Head of Department” means the prescribed official;
(g) “Chief of Office” means the head employee of the prescribed office;
(h) “permanent post” means a post of the health service which is pensionable and of which term is not specified;
(i) “expert post” means a post which has functions, duties and responsibilities of special nature and requires special
qualifications;
(j) “Ministry” means the Ministry of Health of the Government of Nepal; and
(k) “Prescribed” or “as prescribed” means prescribed or as prescribed in the rules framed under this Act.