Find doc but halt strike

Almost a week has passed since Dr Bhakta Man Shrestha, executive director of BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur, went missing under mysterious circumstances. By the look of things, this could be yet another case of abduction for ransom. Shrestha’s family has pleaded for his safe release and shown willingness to meet all demands. There are some indications that Shrestha is in fact safe and has come in contact with his family, but this only bolsters the suspicion of kidnap for ransom. The case became more curious after Shrestha’s car was found in Pokhara and his briefcase was recovered from the banks of the Trishuli river. Meanwhile, voices have been raised vociferously against the inability of the police to expedite Shrestha’s release. And this is not the first case of its kind in the country. Kidnapping for ransom has become rampant and jailbirds run abduction rackets from behind bars. The criminals are said to be in constant touch through telephone and messengers with their fellows all over the country. The authorities must focus on strengthening the surveillance mechanisms in jails to cut off such contact. They should realize that if such communications are not checked, the law that imposes 12 years in jail for kidnap becomes irrelevant and ineffective.



At the same time, it is extremely worrisome that medical practitioners have now halted their services across the country, demanding Dr Shrestha’s safe release. A strike called by Nepal Medical Association on Sunday affected thousands of patients who reached the hospitals unaware of the protest program. Most medical colleges, private clinics and nursing homes also remained closed due to the strike. NMA has even threatened to launch an indefinite strike if Shrestha’s whereabouts are not made known within four days. It is the height of insensitivity on the part of doctors to resort to strikes as an easy form of protest. The last time doctors, at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, paralyzed health services was to protest alleged irregularities in TUTH entrance exams. The incident is still fresh in the minds of the Nepali people, who experienced immense inconveniences in the absence of even emergency services. Halting medical care is against the Hippocratic Oath taken by all medical practitioners, who swear therein to serve the sick and needy under all circumstances. Thus it is against their own professional ethics to withhold medical services at any point in time. It is one thing to pressure the government to find a missing fellow-professional, but it’s quite another, and rather weird too, to bring all medical services to a screeching halt, to the detriment of thousands of innocent people. NMA must withdraw its strike immediately.

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