Kathmandu,
Jan. 24: Chief of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH)'s
orthopedics department, Prof Dr Govinda KC, has urged the Supreme Court to lend
its support to the campaign of further developing the TUTH into the best
medical teaching institution.
"A big achievement has been
made after untiring efforts, and I urge the Chief Justice, the justices, the
registrar and all employees at the Supreme Court not to allow this effort to be
nipped," Dr KC while breaking his fast-onto-death strike this morning.
Lifting his 336-hour marathon hunger
strike today, he said, "My hunger strike was not against any individual
per se. It was for evolving a better process. So, I will not allow it to be
transient. The judiciary will also, I hope, would cooperate in this
campaign."
Among the demands put forth by Dr KC
while launching the fast-onto-death are reforms in the overall health services,
cancellation of the appointment of the Dean at the TU IOM, not giving
affiliation to new medical colleges and appointment of the Dean on the basis of
seniority.
Seven-year-old Elisa Thapa, a
patient at the orthopedics department, Check Gandharva and Dr Pragya Bhandari
who was involved in Dr Kc's treatment, jointly broke Dr KC's fast, as per his
wish, by feeding him fruit juice.
Dr KC withdrew his hunger strike
following written commitments of the government to address his demands. He is
now admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the TUTH.
"He needs to be treated for a
week as his body lacks nutrients since long time," Prof Dr Subas Acharya,
who is attending to Dr KC, said.
A seven-point agreement has been
signed between Prof Dr KC, the government talks tem and Nepal Medical
Association regarding breaking the hunger strike. The agreed upon topics
include appointing the Dean at the IOM on seniority basis, constituting a study
committee regarding upgrading the IOM into an autonomous university, not giving
affiliation to the new medical colleges, increasing the number of posts at the
health institutions, reforming the five per cent tax and allocating a minimum
10 per cent budget to the health sector.
The government on Thursday
constituted a talks team to resolve the problems seen at TUTH through talks and
dialogue. Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of
Ministers Krishnahari Banskota is the coordinator of the talks team and the
secretaries at the Ministries of Home, Education, and Health and Population are
the members of the team. The talks team had prepared the draft of the agreement
today and went to the TUTH to have Dr KC break his fast.
The taskforce comprises Prof Dr
Ramesh Kanta Adhikari, Prof Dr Arjun Karki, Prof Dr Jagadish Agrawal, Dr
Baburam Marasini, Prof Dr Anjani Kumar Jha and Joint Secretary at the Ministry
of Education Mahashram Sharma, among others.
According to talks team coordinator
Baskota, a process has already been initiated to appoint a new Dean at the
Institute of Medicine on the basis of seniority. TUTH doctor Kishor Khanal said now all programmes of protest have been called off and the services will resume soon. However, our efforts and pressure will continue to depoliticize the TUTH, he added.
Meanwhile, Nepal Medical Association has
said that all programmes of protest it announced earlier expressing solidarity
to KC's move have been withdrawn.
Association
Chairman Prof Dr Anjani Kumar Jha said a new ray of light has been seen for the
reforms in health sector and this should be protected and promoted.
The Association has expressed regrets over inconveniences to the patients caused by the halting of medical services in course of the agitation. The Association halted the Out Patient Department (OPD) services across the country backing KC's voices. (Source : RSS)
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