The cabinet meeting convened by Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, officiating prime minister for the duration of Madhav Kumar Nepal´s ongoing China visit, to specifically address the doctors´ issue, decided to form a ministerial level taskforce under the health minister. The ministers of finance, law and general administration are also in the taskforce which will have the health secretary as member-secretary. The cabinet also decided to introduce the Health Professionals Protection Regulations within a month and urged doctors to withdraw their protest. [break]
NMA had promised on Sunday to review the strike after the emergency cabinet meeting and withdraw it if its decision was ´positive´. But NMA did not withdraw the strike after the cabinet meeting, saying its demands had not been addressed.
- Professional security
- Level 9 entry for government-appointed doctors
- Waiver of five percent additional tax levied on private health institutions and doctors in private practice
- Customs discount on vehicle for doctor who has served seven years
- Provision to ensure that doctors given remote posting once don´t get remote posting again
NMA held a meeting later in the day to assess the situation. “We have taken the decision of the state positively but are not satisfied with it,” NMA President Dr Kedar Narsingh KC said after the meeting. Dr KC said NMA will halt the protest for the next two weeks to give time to the taskforce to function, and will take further decisions after evaluating the progress made by the taskforce. “If we do not find the progress satisfactory, we will announce stringent protests,” KC warned.
Thousands of OPD patients across the country were deprived of services Monday. Bir Hospital and Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu alone have around a thousand patients each on an average day.
“Though most of the demands are justifiable, I do not agree with the modality of strike,” Medical Director at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology Dr Sanduk Ruit said. “We are persons devoted to the service of people. We should not give trouble to people like others do.”
Likewise, senior cardiologist Dr Bhagawan Koirala also expressed sadness over the development. “The issue should already have been addressed and this scenario should have been avoided,” Dr Koirala opined. “I urge the government to address the issue so that such a situation does not arise in future,” he added.
The doctors are demanding introduction of Health Professionals Protection Regulations following passage of the Health Professionals Protection Act in April, Level 9 entry for doctors appointed to government service and waiving of the additional five percent tax on doctors and health institutions.
Their other demands include customs concession on a vehicle for any doctor who has served more than seven years. “We have strongly pressed our three major decisions,” NMA President Dr KC tried to evade the question when asked about the customs concession for vehicles. “A joint-secretary uses a government vehicle. So, it is right for a senior doctor to get that facility,” Dr KC said.
They have also asked for a non-practice allowance for doctors working at remote places in accordance with the present salary structure. They have asked for a provision to ensure that a doctor who has served in a remote posting once will not have to work in such places again. They have asked for promotion, transfer and group appointment of doctors according to regulations.
They have asked that the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), established at Bir Hospital, be made an autonomous body so that Bir continues to remain the focal point of all doctors across the country.
They have called for the establishment of a Medical University to ensure quality and good management at all medical colleges and for action against Ratsriya Janashakti Party parliamentarian Arjun Rai for manhandling Dr Upendra Devkota a couple of weeks ago.
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