Kathmandu, January 20

The government’s decision to scrap two hospitals named after two late Nepali Congress leaders — Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala — is nothing but a bargaining chip to award affiliation to Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences named after late CPN-UML leader Manmohan Adhikari.

Manmohan Institute has yet to receive affiliation because of protest from medical education reformist Dr Govinda KC and opposition from the Nepali Congress.

A lawmaker representing the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) told THT that the government decided to scrap GP Koirala National Centre for Respiratory Diseases in Dulegauda, Tanahun, and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Khajura, Banke, as a bargaining chip. “If hospitals can run under the names of NC leaders, why a hospital run under our leader’s name cannot exist,” the NCP lawmaker wondered. “This is the right time to bargain with the NC.”

NC lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu said, “The government scrapped the hospitals named after NC leaders to force the NC to agree to the issuance of affiliation to Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Science,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NC is planning to obstruct the House of Representatives and the National Assembly tomorrow if the government doesn’t convincingly explain why the two hospitals named after the Koiralas were scrapped, said NC Parliamentary Party leader at National Assembly Surendra Pandey and NC Chief Whip at the HoR Bal Krishna Khand.

Khand said the government should bring the hospitals under the federal government.

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