Kathmandu, February 25 Government doctors have announced they are halting health services across the country except emergency services from Wednesday after talks between the Ministry of Health and Population and Government Doctors’ Association of Nepal ended inconclusively, today. A dialogue held between State Health Minister Dr Surendra Kumar Yadav, secretary at MoHP, team of Nepal Medical Association and representatives of GODAN failed to find common ground regarding the demands of government doctors, which has resulted in doctors announcing continuation of protest programmes. GODAN provided 72 hours ultimatum to MoHP yesterday to address their demands. The ministry had called the doctors for talks today. GODAN, for the last two months, has been demanding adjustment of government doctors through the centre rather than through all three tiers of government: central, provincial and local levels. GODAN President Dr Dipendra Pandey said despite talks with the ministry for two hours, it wasn’t able to reach a conclusion. “The ministry is fully aware of our problem but it has yet to solve it,” he said. Meanwhile, MoHP said it was trying to solve the problem of doctors. State Health Minister Surendra Prasad Yadav said Civil Servant Adjustment Bill had been formulated through Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, which intended to put all government staff under the same Act. “But the provision of the adjustment bill cannot address the issue of doctors,” said State Minister Yadav. He said that every MBBS doctor wants to upgrade academic level and expertise, and the central government had been financially supporting those doctors who serve in rural areas for two years. But when the doctors are adjusted through federal and local levels, they won’t be able to upgrade their level further, which is the main reason behind the doctors’ protest, Minister Yadav added. “We are holding a meeting with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to amend the bill in relation to doctors,” he said, adding, “The issue of doctors is a technical one and the bill had not addressed issues of the health sector. We will solve the problem as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, Nepal Medical Association has also requested the government to address the demand of GODAN. Issuing a press statement today, it said that it would support government doctors in the protest programme.