Kathmandu, April 11

Nepal Medical Association today warned it would launch a new round of protest across the country if the government did not address the demands of agitating government doctors.

In a press statement, NMA issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the government to hold talks with government doctors and address their grievances. “If the government fails to fulfil the demands of Government Doctors Association of Nepal, we will join their strike to pressure the government and intensify protest from state-owned hospitals to all private health facilities,” the statement reads.

A meeting of NMA, GODAN, Non-government Doctors Association of Nepal, Young Doctors Association of Nepal, representatives of medical colleges, non-government hospitals and private hospitals today decided to support government doctors in their ongoing protest.

Government doctors have been halting health services, except emergency, in all state-owned hospitals for the past seven days, leaving over 200,000 patients in the lurch every day. President of GODAN Dr Dipendra Pandey said the whole responsibility of the protest programme being led by GODAN was handed over to NMA. “Our protest programmes now will be headed by NMA. The strike will continue until our demands are addressed,” he warned.

Government doctors started halting health services, except emergency, from April 5. Due to the protest, hospitals are incurring huge loss. According to director of Bir Hospital, the health facility is losing 25 per cent of its daily income due to the protest. The hospital generates a daily average income of one million rupees.

Director of National Trauma Centre Dr Pramod Yadav said the protest had affected the hospital both in terms of income and surgery on patients.

Meanwhile, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Baskota said the strike did not suit doctors’ stature.

Speaking at a press conference, he said doctors had been inflicting pain on people with their strike, which was unacceptable. “We will address only the genuine demands of government doctors. Baseless demands that contradict constitutional provisions, will never be addressed,” he said.

“Health services should be available in every nook and cranny of the country and the government is responsible for it. Government doctors should go to the assigned areas,” said Baskota. He also said the government would find an alternative to the problem if doctors did not call off the protest within a few days. He, however, did not elaborate what the solution would be.