KATHMANDU: A joint struggle committee of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) has called for an indefinite closure of hospital services, including emergency services, from tomorrow.

The closure of the hospital will affect around 1,300 patients daily.

The committee comprising representatives of the student union, resident doctors, professors and nurses of TUTH has been demanding their three-point charter of demands be met.

The demands include official cancellation of exams, resignation of officials at the Dean’s office, fair probe of the dean’s role in leaking out exam question papers and the exams be held as soon as possible.

TUTH director Dr Keshav Singh said the resident doctors today handed over a letter announcing the closure of the services.

“I have been urging them to take back their decision, but in vain” he said. Talking to The Himalayan Times, he said he tried his best to negotiate, but “no party is ready to hear us.”

He said the Out Patient Department (OPD) has been closed for the past few days.

It all started on March 13 when post-graduate students vandalised the TUTH and boycotted an exam accusing the Dean of leaking out question papers after taking a “hefty bribe.”

The Dean has been accused of taking Rs 12 million for the question papers, while the doctors said the exam was conducted for a formality.

About 2,000 students were expected to sit for the Doctor of Medicine (DoM) and Masters of Surgery (MS) entrance exams in four different centres, including the Maharajgunj campus, for 100 seats.

Manoj Kumar Poudel, president of Free Students’ Union (FSU) at TUTH said they will not resume their duties until their demands are met. Dr Karbir Nath Yogi, chairman of the Professors’ Association of TUTH said it is becoming tougher for them to continue with their regular job in the absence of resident doctors.

Around 270 residence doctors and other employees of the hospital are involved in the strike.