Nepal Medical Association announces boycott of non-emergency medical services

Kathmandu, April 25 (IANS) The Nepal Medical Association(NMA) on Friday announced a nationwide boycott of all medical services, except for emergency and intensive care at private and government hospitals, medical colleges, and clinics across the country.

The strike will affect tens of thousands of sick people in Nepal, depriving them of medical treatment, according to local media reports.

The association took the step in solidarity with resident doctors pursuing MD/MS degrees in private colleges, who had been demanding allowances equal to those of government-owned colleges.

Several local media reported that the medical practitioners staged a demonstration on Thursday at Maitighar in Kathmandu, cordoning off the district administration offices.

They staged the protest at the call of the Nepal Doctors’ Association, alleging that they have not been provided the allowance as per the decision of the government and have been subjected to labour exploitation.

Earlier, the 16th meeting of Nepal's Medical Education Commission, presided over by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was held following protests and a boycott of non-emergency services by the agitating postgraduate student doctors in February this year.

The Commission decided to align allowances for postgraduate students from private medical colleges with those from government-owned colleges.

However, Private medical colleges refused to implement the commission's decision, citing that they are not in a position to increase the remuneration and existing law does not compel them to abide by the decision.

“Labour exploitation of resident doctors by private medical colleges must stop, and we are against any kind of labour exploitation. We have been demanding the implementation of the decision of the meeting of the Medical Education Commission headed by the Prime Minister,” said Dr Shesh Raj Ghimire, coordinator of the Safe Workplace Struggle Committee for Health Workers.

Meanwhile, the NMA representatives and the protesting doctors also held a meeting with Nepal’s Health Minister Pradip Paudel. The Minister expressed support for the demands of the agitating doctors, Nepal’s leading newspaper, The Kathmandu Post reported.

“Minister Paudel reiterated that the government is committed to implementing the decision of the 16th meeting of the Medical Education Commission. But resident doctors need a stipend on par with those of government-owned colleges, not only the minister’s commitment,” said Anil Bikram Karki, President of the association.

--IANS

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