Either the government has to point to credible faults in the charter of demands put forward by Dr Govinda KC, or it has to immediately address his demands. In our view, his demands are completely justified. Just the fact that this upstanding orthopedic surgeon, and a diabetic at that, has had to repeatedly put his life on the line to enact what should be commonsensical health reforms is a testament to the incredible power of the ‘medical mafia’ that Dr KC often talks about. One of the reasons the current government has been unable to meet Dr KC’s demands is the hard stand of CPN-UML and its headstrong chairman KP Sharma Oli. The party has refused to endorse any reform that entails stopping the process of granting new affiliations to medical colleges inside Kathmandu valley. This is because many UML lawmakers have invested in these colleges and they risk losing all their investment if Dr KC has his way. What Dr KC is not saying is that private investors cannot open medical colleges anywhere in Nepal. In fact, he wants them to go and invest in areas that have few or no medical facilities, and which is also in public interest. 

UML needs to be extremely careful about how it handles this issue. There is great public support for Dr KC and his demands. The party, which has recently emerged as the largest political force in the local elections, risks alienating many people who voted for it this time if it continues to oppose vital reforms. People also understand that Dr KC is no ‘mad man’, as some have accused him. In fact, with his unblemished record of public service and a spotless character, people see him as an embodiment of hope. They know that he was forced to sit for his 11th fast-unto-death as none of the major promises that were made to him by previous governments have been fulfilled. Even those reforms that were already initiated have been taken back. For instance, the right of the Institute of Medicine (IoM) to fix the fee structures and student number of medical colleges, granted after Dr KC’s repeated hunger strikes, was appropriated by the Tribhuvan University three months ago. The university has also appointed new IoM office-bearers along political lines, again in clear violation of the government’s previous agreements with Dr KC. 

The Mathema Committee Report on medical education reform has been gathering dust for years now. The Medical Education Bill has been stuck in parliament for as long. At heart, these documents seek to guarantee quality and affordable healthcare to each and every Nepali. This noble initiative thus deserves the support of all conscionable citizens of this country. Dr KC’s health continues to fast deteriorate. There is an imminent threat to his life. If something happens to this crusader of hope, the political forces that now oppose his proposed health reforms are sure to face a big public backlash. More importantly, this country needs role models like Dr Govinda KC. If Dr KC loses this battle, we all do. We thus urge the main political parties to see reason and immediately and unconditionally address all his demands. 

 
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• commandment