It seems Nepali state is being too cruel to Dr Govinda KC, a senior professor at the Institute of Medicine (IoM) and orthopedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). Every few months, Dr KC launches satyagraha, putting forth demands of reforms in health sector, pushing to make seniority and merit, not political affiliation, the criteria to appoint senior officials at IoM and TUTH. He stages hunger strike and the entire health fraternity rises to express solidarity with him. The general public joins the bandwagon. The media draws government attention. The government does not listen. Days pass; his health condition deteriorates with each passing day. It then follows widespread criticism of the government. And the government delegates secretaries to persuade him to break hunger strike. They promise to fulfill all legitimate demands. They literally bow down to Dr KC's moral strength. Agreement is signed, fast-unto-death broken and media and people cheer his victory hoping for reforms. Months after such agreements, nothing gets implemented.This is how Dr KC has been treated by the state for the last few years. Baburam Bhattarai and Khil Raj Regmi promised to do everything possible to fulfill his demands when they were heads of government. But those promises did not materialize. This drama of pretending to heed Dr KC and then forgetting all commitments must come to an end, once and for all. We have been consistently supporting Dr KC, not just because he is a crusader of medical reforms, but also a man of high moral and professional integrity. He is the one who goes out to treat earthquake victims for free and visits rural villages of western Nepal to provide free health treatments to the poor. Above all, he has been consistently fighting for massive reforms in health sector. He wants our health system to ensure affordable treatment to all the poor across the country.
Dr KC has been mulling yet another strike (it will be the sixth), demanding implementation of the Mathema Report on medical education. We do not understand why the government is dillydallying. For many recommendations of this report could be milestones in the development of a more accountable and service-oriented medical sector. It recommends, among other things, for a single autonomous medical education commission to regulate all branches of medicine and health professionals, pushes establishing public health educational institution in each development region, limits fees for MBBS program at Rs 3.5 million, and advocates for merit-based admissions in medical schools. It is not hard to understand that various interest groups with huge investment in the country's private hospitals are opposed to the Mathema report. However, this must not be an excuse for the government to delay its implementation. The Koirala government has a moral obligation to heed Dr KC, because it was this government which commissioned Mathema committee and vowed to implement its recommendation. In a positive turn, Dr KC has agreed not to go on another hunger strike for the next two weeks on government request. The government should take concrete steps to address Dr KC's demands within this timeframe. Dr KC's health condition has worsened due to repeated hunger strikes. He should not be forced into another for government inability to live up to its words.
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