Some docs unhappy with govt-NMA deal

Published On: October 4, 2017 07:42 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Oct 4: A section of doctors are have expressed their dissatisfaction with the recent agreement between the government and Nepal Medical Association (NMA).

The doctors have demanded that the government revoke within 72 hours its September 18 decision to formulate law to compensate patients for medical negligence. The doctors started boycotting the OPD services from September 22. NMA withdrew its strike after an agreement between the government and NMA, umbrella organization of the medical doctors, on September 29. However, a section of doctors started working wearing black armbands from October 3.

“There is dissatisfaction over the agreement that failed to address the demands of the doctors,” said Dr Jivan Kshetry, coordinator of the Alliance for the Solidarity with Dr Govinda KC. “The NMA demanded scrapping of the controversial cabinet decision to formulate law to punish the doctors,” he added.

NMA resorted to shut down the OPD services as part of its protest against the September 24 decision.

The agreement made on September 29 includes increasing the retirement of doctors at 65 against present age bar of 60. But the agitating doctors have demanded to revoke it and formulate law provisioning jail without bail instead of other punishment criteria and to include youth doctors in the committees formed by the government as part of implementing the agreement made with the government.

There are 109 government hospitals. Besides these, private sector owns 154 hospitals with 7,394 beds across the country, according to the organization of the private hospitals. There are nearly 20,000 doctors registered with the Nepal Medical Council while some 12,000 doctors including about 1,200 in government hospitals are practicing in the country.

The kin and relatives of the patients have vandalized the private hospitals, mostly in the Kathmandu Valley, many times in the country following the deaths and harms on human organs of patients in the hospitals. The controversies surfaced in Om Hospital and Manmohan Memorial Hospital recently.