Kathmandu, January 24

Senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging hunger strike over non-incorporation of the nine-point agreement he had signed with the government into the National Medical Education Bill, has written an open letter to lawmakers urging them to correct the mistakes made by the relevant parliamentary panel.

The bill was endorsed by the relevant panel of the House of Representatives without incorporating all the points of the nine-point agreement Dr KC had signed with the government on July 26. In the letter, Dr KC stated that the bill had failed to bring the much-awaited reforms in the medical education sector.

“I hope that the representatives’ body will not be misled or prejudiced by those who change their stance at their convenience,” Dr KC wrote in the letter, urging lawmakers to bring people- and students-friendly bill.

Dr KC said his demand that one university should not award affiliations to more than five medical colleges was based on the Mathema Commission’s report which would ensure the quality of medical education. He said he favoured opening medical colleges in remote areas. “I do not want to believe that the agreement I had signed with the government was a sham. I think you lawmakers agree with me. If it was a sham, we’ll have to fight against such betrayal,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a group of civil society members today decided to carry out their activism in favour of Dr KC under former chief justice Sushila Karki from tomorrow.