KATHMANDU, Feb 18: The government doctors who are unhappy with the civil servants adjustment process on Sunday announced their new protest program, which includes boycott of work and resignation in mass among other things.
The doctors have rejected a government plan to put them under the provincial and local governments and are demanding that the Civil Servants Adjustment Bill be revised to place them under the federal government, according to the agitating Government Doctors’ Association of Nepal (Godan). The bill has already been passed by the lower house of parliament and is currently under consideration in the upper house.
Organizing a press meet on Sunday, Godan announced a new weeklong protest after a phase of their protest ended on Friday (February 15).
Govt docs continue protest against adjustment
Godan President Dr Dipendra Pandey said that they would collect signatures of fellow doctors on Monday in preparation to submit a mass resignation to the government to press their demands. “We met National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina today [Sunday] to review the bill,” said Dr Pandey. “We will also urge President Bidya Devi Bhandari to rethink the bill.”
The doctors have planned to stage a demonstration at Maitighar on Tuesday where they will organize a blood donation, according to Godan. “On Wednesday, all government doctors will stay home on leave,” said Dr Pandey. “We will collect doctors’ resignations on Thursday and gather in Kathmandu for submitting the resignations to the government. If the government does not heed our demand, we will halt all hospital services except for emergency on Friday,” he added. “We will resort to boycotting even the emergency services if our demands are not heard.”
However, the doctors have not finalized the date for submitting their mass resignation. “We cannot say when we complete collecting the resignation from across the country. As soon as we collect, we will submit the mass resignation to the government,” said Dr Pandey.
At least 25 doctors were arrested and three injured when police charged baton on agitating doctors on February 10.
An agreement had been signed on January 13 between the agitating doctors and a team from the Ministry of Health and Population. arlier the government doctors staged protests after the government asked all civil servants including government doctors to apply for adjustment.
According to the GODAN, there are 1,600 doctors working in the government health facilities across the country. A record of Nepal Medical Council (NMC) shows that more than 21,000 doctors are registered with the NMC.
Nepal Medical Association (NMA), professional organization of doctors, has also supported Godan’s demands.
