KATHMANDU, Oct 19: The government has formed a 14-member committee to address the ongoing protests by nurses over inadequate remuneration at private hospitals and medical colleges across the country.
The committee, coordinated by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Shree Krishna Shrestha, is tasked with providing immediate and long-term solutions.
Nurses have been protesting for the implementation of the government-mandated minimum salary of Rs. 34,730, which many institutions have reportedly failed to enforce.
Nurses on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19 as Inter...
The decision to form the committee follows a high-level meeting last Thursday, where Prime Minister Sushila Karki directed health officials to resolve the issue urgently.
The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting today. According to Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota, efforts are underway to bring the agitating nurses back to work before the Tihar holiday, when staffing shortages are expected to increase pressure on health services.
“There is a workload pressure as many health workers are going on leave during Tihar,” Dr. Devkota said. “We are working toward reaching an agreement today and urge the nurses to return to work.”
The committee has been given one week to submit a preliminary report with recommendations for both immediate relief and sustainable reform.
The members of the committee include: Dr. Anup Bastola, Head of the Grievance Redressal Unit: Officials from the Medical Education Commission, heads of the Nursing and Social Security Division, and representatives from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, Labor, and Education
Representatives from Nepal Nursing Council, Nepal Nursing Association, Nepal Medical and Dental College Associations, Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal (AFIN), and the agitating nurses are also included in the committee.
The head of the Medical Services, Education, and Research Branch of the Ministry of Health has been appointed as the member secretary.
The committee's work is expected to pave the way for fair remuneration practices and restore normalcy in healthcare services affected by the protests.
