KATHMANDU: Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital's orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC on Sunday began his fast-unto-death for the eighth time, putting forth various demands regarding reform in Nepal's medical education. KC announced the indefinite hunger strike putting forth four demands including that the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Lokman Singh Karki, be impeached. Accusing Karki of protecting various corrupt people in the medical education sector, Dr KC argued that the CIAA chief, thus, already breached his jurisdiction as he interfered into the Kathmandu University. He also accused Karki of obstructing the overall process of medical education’s reforms, including merit-based admission and ceiling on fees to serve business interests of people close to him. Earlier, on June 26, he had served a two-week ultimatum till today, warning that he would resort to the hunger strike if a procedure to impeach the chief of the constitutional body did not begin by then. Along with Karki, he has also demanded impeachment motion against CIAA Commissioner Raj Narayan Pathak, arguing that he was also involved in activities against dignity of his position, in promoting irregularities in the medical education sector. READ ALSO:

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Another demand of Dr KC includes improvements in a draft of the Medical Education Act with objectives to establish at least a medical college in all provinces, to make education at the government medical colleges completely free and to halt affiliations to new colleges within Kathmandu Valley for next 10 years. Likewise, he demanded that the government withdraw a bill on establishing an academy in the Capital which is currently under discussion at the Parliament. Dr KC argued that the bill was against a report of the high-level committee formed to draft new health education policy in the country, headed by educationist Kedar Bhakta Mathema. Likewise, he demanded that the past agreements signed with him earlier are effectively implemented. Whereas Dr KC enjoys a good support from social media enthusiasts, journalists and members of the public, a group of doctors demonstrated at the TUTH today against the strike, claiming Dr KC's move would lead to obstructions in smooth delivery of the hospital services. The TU Institute of Medicine, which governs the TUTH, had also asked Dr KC to stage his fast-unto-death somewhere else. Dr KC, however, in a statement issued today, has asked the IoM professors, students and TUTH doctors not to halt any academic and hospital activities in his support.