Kathmandu, August 14

Ranju Jha, chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Women, Children, Elderly and Social Welfare has decided not to take the Medical Education Bill for endorsement in the Parliament on August 15 as ‘ample preparations hadn’t been made for endorsement.’

The representatives of Dr Govinda KC — who is on a fast-unto-death — have condemned Jha’s act as ‘inhumane and irresponsible.’ “It seems more like personal ego,” said Dr Abhishek Raj Singh, representative of Dr KC’s talks team. “We have decided to come up with protests on the roads. There will be a mass rally from Maitighar to Baneshwor tomorrow to condemn her act,” Dr Singh added.

Om Prakash Aryal, a lawyer who has been liaising between the two sides — Dr KC and the government talks team — condemned her act. “We are trying to solve the problem. There is talk that when the bill is endorsed in the House there will be discussions and necessary amendments will be made then. It is heard that Nepali Congress has been lobbying to pass the bill from the Parliament. Her act will hinder the process. She hasn’t shown any sensitivity to Dr KC’s demands and his life,” added Aryal.

If the Medical Education bill is passed and amended, medical colleges that have taken the letter of intent will also be barred from getting affiliation to run the colleges as the Mathema-led panel has strongly suggested not to give permission to establish medical colleges in the Capital for a decade.

However, the medical education bill has been revised with the note that medical colleges which have already got the letter of intent will get the licence if they have met the necessary standards. Dr KC had strongly disagreed with this. He is firm in his decision that the Medical Education Bill should be implemented as per the recommendation made by the Mathema-led panel.

The ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre had proposed purchasing the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences after the agitating doctor remained firm in his decision to bar the establishment of new medical colleges in the Capital. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-MC Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had approached UML lawmaker Rajendra Pandey to buy the property of MMIHS. However, Pandey rejected the proposal saying that all infrastructures for the medical school had already been built.

“The government can’t force a citizen to sell his property. Either Pandey should understand the situation and sell the property or Dr KC should end his protest,” opined Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who has been liaising the talks between Dr KC’s team and the government team.

He has requested Dr KC to end his protest as the Medical Education Bill will be endorsed in the Parliament and as the nation is facing a national crisis.

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