Kathmandu, September 28

Senior orthopaedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Dr Govinda KC threatened to launch his 16th fast-unto-death, if the government does not honour the recent agreement reached with him.

Organising a press meet here today, he said his foremost demand would be resignation of Minister of Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel.

The government had promised to pass the Medical Education Bill to break Dr KC’s 15th fast-unto-death which lasted for 27 days. However, the Parliament session was prorogued yesterday without passing the bill.

Dr KC claimed that the government had asked him to agree to keep the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology if he wanted the Medical Education Bill to be passed in the Parliament session that ended yesterday.

“Yesterday evening, I received a call from one of the representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, who asked me to agree to keep CTEVT under the Ministry of Education. He also said that if I did not agree, the Medical Education Bill would not be passed in the Parliament session that ended yesterday.”

The next Parliament session will begin after two months. “I have staged hunger strikes for 15 times for reforms in the medical education sector and to ensure that health services are accessible to all. All that I have done till now will go in vain, if I agree to the terms of the government,” Dr KC said.

CTEVT also produces medical/health professionals who play an important role in medical sector. We cannot avoid those medical professionals.” He also said that he would be proud to die if people in the country get free education and health services.