Panels formed as BPKIHS docs continue strike

DHARAN, Oct 23: Three separate committees have been set up in order to resolve security problems and to investigate the recent incident at the B P Koirala Institute of Health Science (BPKIHS) in Dharan. Doctors at BPKIHS took to the streets indefinitely after two doctors were beaten up on October 19 on the hospital premises. The committees were set up late on Thursday night at a meeting of all stakeholders.



An 18-member task force, headed by the institute´s Registrar Nanda Kumar Thapa, has been asked to come up with short-term and long-term security plans for BPKIHS within the next three days. The task force consists of representatives from political parties, security officers, BPKIHS officials, representatives of doctors, and community members.



A separate seven-member committee has also been created to advise the taskforce. The taskforce advice committee members are Constituent Assembly (CA) members Kiran Kumar Rai, Dharma Niraula, Chimaya Rai, Chief District Officer Hari Krishna Upadhyaya, Superintendent of Police Rajendra Man Shrestha and Sunsari´s Local Development Officer Prem Bhattarai.



Similarly, another four-member committee headed by CA member Rai has been set up to investigate the incident. The committee´s report is due in two days.



Other decisions made at the meeting include removing unauthorized people from BPKIHS premises, removing taxis and parking space from the emergency ward premises and removing unauthorized hostel residents. Stakeholders also decided to hold talks with the doctors to end the strike.



Doctors, however, have refused to end the strike until the implementation of the taskforce decisions.

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