Three days after the government and Dr Govinda KC had signed an 11-point deal on implementing the Mathema Report on improving medical education in the country, Dr KC has threatened to go on hunger strike again, for the seventh time, in three days ‘if the government does not carry out the deal sincerely’. He has alleged that the government has stepped back from the deal. Some of his demands have already been fulfilled, some are in the process of being implemented, according to government representatives. While some of his demands are the need of the hour as they will help remove the irregularities and the low quality prevailing in medical education, his other demands have been found by many as impracticable or unfair, such as maintaining the ratio of government to private medical colleges at 1 to 3.

According to this, there will have to be set up no medical college for several years to come, as the ratio of government medical colleges is already much lower. Other unrealistic or unfair demands include: granting no affiliation to any medical college in the Kathmandu Valley for the next 10 years, even to those who have already received letters of intent and have already made all the preparations, spending many crores of rupees; holding free post-graduate studies (of course for those who have already become doctors); and emphasizing the need for private medical colleges to be set up in remote areas, though expanding medical services to the remote areas should always be a government priority. The private medical and dental colleges have also presented their 7-point demand and have already started their protests with their doctors and staff wearing black bands on their arms to protest the full implementation of the Mathema Report, which they say will ruin the private medical and dental colleges.

Mohan Dhungana, Chabahil

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I would like to request the leaders of all political parties to listen to dissident voices from different walks of life and incorporate their good suggestions in the constitution so that all can accept it as a consensual political document. History keeps on repeating albeit in different ways which should be perceived by the leaders. While it is imperative to listen to genuine concerns of the various communities or groups that have lagged behind in the development process, it is also the responsibility of the political parties to expose the secessionist views expressed by those who do not want a new constitution to be delivered. Once the constitution comes into force, some of the dissident voices can be addressed in the course of its implementation.Some Madhesi leaders, including those of the ruling parties, have provoked the people in the Terai to take up arms against the people of hill origin who have settled down in the plains. This will not augur well for the nation and the Madhesi leaders themselves. What I have learnt from media reports is that most of the concerns raised by the Madhesi parties have been addressed through the amendment  proposals.

Deepak Chalise, Thimi