“The ministry will take necessary steps to resolve the issue if NAMS management fails to resolve it by 10 Monday morning,” Secretary at the ministry Dr Praveen Mishra said.
Minister for Health and Population Umakant Chaudhary had on Saturday called Vice-Chancellor of NAMS Dr CP Maskey, Registrar Dr Bishwa Raj Joshi and Rector Dr Shree Krishna Giri at the ministry and instructed them to resolve the issue within two days.
But far from the issue being resolved, even registrars (doctors senior to residents) have threatened strike by issuing a notice at the hospital. “Our workload has increased a lot due to the residents´ strike. We (registrars and their seniors, consultants) have worked for the past 11 days in the absence of residents but can no longer take the burden. If the management doesn´t increase the manpower or bring back the residents to duty, we too will be forced to go on strike,” Dr Bhupendra Basnet, a medical registrar at the hospital, said. Dr Basnet revealed consultants would also meet Monday morning to address the issue.
Meanwhile, Residents Association of NAMS (RAN) has taken exception to the attempt by the ministry to divert the focus of the strike. “We have never asked resignation of the management. We just want implementation of our agreement reached with the management on September 1,” RAN spokesperson Dr Arbin Joshi said.
Dr Joshi said residents want their demands met and have nothing to do with who runs the management. “After talking to Health Secretary Dr Praveen Mishra we were hopeful that the ministry will mediate to resolve the issue. But we are disappointed by the apparent effort of the ministry to take the occasion to appoint its men at NAMS,” Dr Joshi added.
There are 200 residents at Bir and they handle the Out Patients Department and also carry out all kinds of surgeries. Despite having 60 other senior doctors, the hospital does not run well with them alone as they generally do not work there full-time.
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