KATHMANDU: Thousands of patients breathed a sigh of relief, as Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital doctors returned to regular work and all hospital services resumed today after a two-week protest programme.

Dr Keshav Singh, TUTH director, said it would

take some days for the hospital to get back to normal condition. He said the

agitating group had diverted their protest towards the dean’s office and Institute of Medicine.

Although the hospital recorded lesser number of patients , the number would increase once the hospital began functioning normally, hoped the director, adding that people might not be aware of resumption of services.

The struggle committee withdrew its strike after the government agreed to form a five-member committee under the chairmanship of Jaya Ram Giri, former education secretary with Dr Mahesh Prasad Khakural and Dr Prakash Sundar Shrestha from TUTH, Laxman Khanal, under secretary, Ministry of Education, and a first class gazetted officer of the Office of the Attorney General as members to investigate into the TUTH row. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 days. The government had also decided to scrap the entrance test and re-conduct the examination as soon as possible.

The hospital today recorded up to 500 patients and the emergency room was packed. At least 1,500 patients visit the hospital on a normal day.

Dr Manoj Kumar Poudel, president of Free Student’s Union, said they had changed the modality of their protest but would not withdraw the protest until their demands were addressed.

He said they carried their regular duties by tying black wrist bands.

The agitating bodies organised an hour-long sit-in-protest on the hospital premises against the action of the locals on Wednesday.