Kathmandu, October 2

Nepal Medical Association has withdrawn all its protest programmes following a four-point agreement with the government.

The association had been protesting the Cabinet decision asking the Ministry of Health to draft a bill that would require doctors to pay compensation to a patient if found guilty of negligence during his/her treatment. As per the agreement, Health Professionals and Health Institutions’ Security Act 2066 will be revised.

“We have agreed to form a five-member task force comprising specialists within seven days to assess work performance of doctors and health practitioners and revise their salary and other benefits” said Dr Lochan Karki, general secretary, Nepal Medical Association.  The task force will be given a month to submit its report. He added that the government, among other things, had also agreed to remove the provision of five per cent health service tax.

A letter will be sent to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Commission to implement the agreement on removing health service tax.

Similarly, medical practitioners will be allowed to work till 65 years of age, as per the deal. Likewise, it has also been agreed that secretary at the Ministry of Health would be appointed from among senior medical practitioners.

The umbrella organisation of medical and dental doctors across the country said it would launch fresh nationwide protests if the government failed to implement the agreement.

Nepal Medical Association had announced nation-wide protest and closed out-patient services in all government and private hospitals, nursing homes and health centres across the country.

It had given the government 72-hour ultimatum to withdraw its decision. It had also demanded a provision of ‘jail without bail’ for violence against medical practitioners.