Dr Govinda KC to stage 11th hunger strike from today

Published On: July 24, 2017 07:15 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, July 23: Dr Govinda KC, a senior orthopedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH),Institute of Medicine (IoM), is all set to stage his 11th fast-unto-death from Monday.

“Dr KC has decided to stage the strike from tomorrow,” said Dr Jivan Kshetry, who has been supporting Dr KC in all the past fast-unto-death strikes, told Republica on Sunday evening.

“We have requested him not to go for the strike. But he is determined,” he added.
His six-day ultimatum issued on May 17 to the government to address his two-point demand expired two months ago. However, he postponed his scheduled strikes due to the local level elections.

Dr KC, who is also a professor at IoM, has now demanded that the government bring the Medical Education Act, slash fees of postgraduate courses in medicine from Rs 3.1 million to Rs 2.1 million, revoke Tribhuvan University decision on medical education, appoint four assistant deans at IOM and a campus chief immediately and probe the irregularities of TU officials and take action against them.

Dr KC said he is forced to go for another hunger strike after the agreement with him was not implemented this time again. “The draft of the proposed Medical Education Act has been changed in order to serve the medical mafia. The bill should be passed as it was drafted including our suggestions in line with the past agreements and recommendations from the Mathema report,” he said, “I will continue the fast-unto-death until the government takes a concrete decision to address the demands.”

Dr KC had staged his 10th fast-unto-death from November 13, 2016 against “the anarchy prevailing in the medical education sector”. He had ended the strike after three weeks, on December 4, after a 12-point agreement with the government.

The agreement included enacting the Medical Education Act, implementing past agreements with Dr KC, stopping issuing affiliation to private medical colleges before introducing new rules, ending commercialization in medical education, forming a panel to probe the irregularities in the medical sector, opening a government medical college in each province, and taking action against Tribhuvan University officials who “resorted to spoil medical education.”