KATHMANDU, Jan 30: The government has decided to keep two hospitals named after late Nepali Congress (NC) leaders under the central government following protest from the main opposition party against its earlier decision to hand over the hospitals to the provincial government.

The government took a u-turn after the main opposition party unveiled protest programs alleging that the government had tried to undermine the contributions made by late Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala in the democratic transformation of the country.

The government had decided not to keep Girija Prasad Koirala Respiratory Center (Tanahu) and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital (Banke) under its jurisdiction following which the NC began protests. This issue is one of the six agenda of the NC's nationwide protest.

A senior government official confirmed the decision of the government and said that the government plans to inform this to the parliament meeting scheduled for Thursday.

NC was miffed with the government after it endorsed the names of 11 other hospitals under the central government, but those named after the late NC leaders were missing.

NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said the government has not yet communicated to the party about any such decision.

“If this media report is true, we consider it as the government's move to correct its mistake. This has proved why our protest is necessary,” said Sharma.

A Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the party on Sunday had decided to hold protests in all the district headquarters on February 4. The decision to intensify protests across the country came after the government decided to forcibly endorse the disputed National Medical Education Bill amid NC's objection and the decision not to include these two hospitals in the list of those to be run under the federal government.

 
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