Dr KC’s 27-day-long fast has ended with govt pledge to address all his key demands; we hope those in power will not pull yet another fast one on him

Six years. Fifteen hunger strikes. The longest lasting 27 days. And one man. All that for reforms in the medical education sector. When Dr Govinda KC, a senior orthopaedic surgeon at TU Teaching Hospital staged his first hunger strike back in 2012, he was calling for an end to political interference in the Institute of Medicine, the country’s premier medical school. But in due course, his scope of demands expanded. What the good doctor had been standing for was: making health care accessible and affordable for all Nepalis. His earlier 14 fasts-unto-death, which were staged during every government since 2012, had ended with some agreements, but non-implementation would make the surgeon to put his life on the line again and again. The last hunger strike followed the government’s decision to alter some key provisions of the National Medical Education Ordinance and register a replacement bill in such a way that it would have benefited a handful of interest groups. Dr KC chose Jumla in Karnali Province as the venue for his 15th hunger strike in a symbolic move that health care is still inaccessible for the Karnali folks and many others in different parts of the country, largely due to uneven spread of health facilities.

After a long-drawn tug-of-war between the government and Dr KC, the 15th hunger strike finally culminated in a nine-point deal on the 27th day on Thursday. In between, the government earned a bad name for using force in Jumla when it airlifted Dr KC to Kathmandu. Then leaders of the ruling party made some disparaging remarks against Dr KC. Even Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was found using different platforms, including Parliament, to take a jibe against the person who was risking his life to save lives of others. But at the end, the two sides found a way out through negotiations – in a proof that there is no alternative to talks. Now this is not the time to censure the government. We do not need to be stingy to give the government credit where credit is due for reaching out to Dr KC. And Prime Minister Oli, who took initiatives personally to address Dr KC’s demands, also must be thanked.

Now comes the challenging part. One of the key demands of Dr KC is putting a moratorium on establishment of new medical schools in the Kathmandu Valley for 10 years. This was the major bone of contention. The deal also has it that there will be one medical college in each province. If the agreement is duly implemented, it can bring sweeping reforms in the medical education sector and herald a new era in health care services in the country. Since deals reached with Dr KC earlier had remained largely unimplemented, this is but natural for some to see the development with cautious optimism. So now is the time to seize the opportunity and dispel suspicions, if there are any, and work seriously to implement the deal in the larger interest of the citizens. Both sides should now let bygones be bygones. We sincerely hope that those in power will not pull a fast one on Dr KC, and the 61-year-old crusader will not be forced to stage another round of hunger strike. Forcing the surgeon to stage yet another round of fast-unto-death for whatever reason will be unfortunate.

Tiger population

The population of big cat – royal Bengal tiger – has risen in the Chitwan National Park (CNP) due to concerted efforts made by the CNP, security personnel and the locals. CNP assistant protection officer Nurendra Aryal said the park had 50 tigers in 1996 which also remained the same even in 1999. It had 60 tigers in 2003. Its population rose to 65 in 2005. However, the number of stripped tigers rose to 120 in 2013 when the last census with camera trapping system was used. The CNP also conducted the latest census this year hoping its further increase. Nepal has aimed to double the tiger population by 2022.

It is good news that tiger population is increasing as a result of effective measures to protect its habitat and to control poaching. Still, the CNP, also famous for endangered one-horned rhino, is facing a serious threat of forest encroachment in recent years. Haphazard construction roads in the core conservation area, drying up of water resources and losses of grassy land are major challenges of the CNP spreading in 1,681 square kilometres including the buffer zone. The problem of shrinking habitat needs to be addressed with new plan of actions to protect the wild beast.