Manipal doctors deny charge

Pokhara, April 24

Manipal Teaching Employees’ Association today claimed that they did not know about the treatment needed for persons injured in the Kagbeni accident in Mustang on Saturday.

A statement issued and signed by the association’s secretary Dr Deepak Koirala stated they were not present at the college as it was Saturday and they came to know about the injured persons airlifted to the hospital through media. The association claimed that the hospital administration had returned the injured from the main gate without informing them about the accident.

“Even the Disaster Management System chaired by the medical superintendent of the hospital was unaware that injured persons had been sent without managing first aid from the main gate of the college,” said the statement.

The agitating doctors claimed that they hadn’t halt health services at the emergency department. Hence, they have demanded fair investigation into the incident and action against the guilty.  They have refuted the charge that doctors refused to treat the injured.

Nepal Doctors’ Association, Gandaki Chapter has condemned the news report as assassinating the character and professional ethics of doctors in a statement. “More than two-third doctors were at service during the investigation,” reads the statement.

Meanwhile, a task force deployed from the Ministry of Health to investigate into the incident reached Pokhara today. The team will begin investigation from Tuesday. The Medical Council also had sought clarification from the hospital regarding denial of treatment for the injured.

Manipal administration had sent as many as 15 injured persons of Kagbeni bus accident, who were airlifted to the health facility, saying that they could not treat them due to doctors’ agitation on Saturday. Following the incident, Manipal administration and the doctors had to face heavy criticism. However, finally, those agitating doctors returned to their duty from today after the administration vowed to address their demands.

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