The protest, which caused major slowdowns at hospitals across Nepal, was
triggered by a physician who went on a 15-day hunger strike to demand
the removal of the government-appointed head of Tribhuwan University
Teaching Hospital.
The protesters said that political appointees should not hold top
positions at government hospitals, and that schools must be independent.
The government agreed to remove the executive and assured there would
not be political interference in the medical education system. The
government also pledged to form a committee that would recommend turning
the government institute into an independent university.
The strike had left tens of thousands of patients with access only to
emergency care. Nepal is a poor country where people often travel long
distances from rural areas to seek medical care. The strike began Sunday
and around 4,000 doctors took part.
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