Kathmandu, October 25, 2015

The eight student unions affiliated to various political parties today burnt copies of the recently-promulgated media ordinance in the valley. The student bodies took out a rally from Maitidevi chanting slogans against the ordinance and said the government’s ‘futile efforts’ to curb media freedom would not yield any result. The students burnt the copies of the ordinance at different places like Ghattekulo, Charkhal and Dillibazar. Police intervened in the rally and tried to douse the flames rising from the burnt copies. However, no ontoward incident was reported. The rally converged into a corner meeting at Dillibazar. Addressing the meet, the joint general secretary of Nepal Students Union, Kalyan Kumar Gurung, said the ordinance should be withdrawn and the government should uphold press freedom. Secretary of All Nepal National Free Students Union, Yagya Raj Sunuwar, said the students would ‘uproot the autocratic regime’ from the country. NSU student leader Basu Koirala said the media should be granted full freedom. The student unions have further protest programmes. They will be organising a rally from Basantapur against the Royal takeover and the media ordinance on October 28 and advocate total democracy in the country.

New maternity ward at Patan hospital

Lalitpur, October 25, 2015

The Vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers Kirti Nidhi Bista today laid the foundation stone of a maternity ward block at the Patan Hospital, which is being funded by the Simons family of New York City in memory of their son, Nick Simons. The construction is scheduled to be completed in two years. “With the increase in the population, education and health services also need to be increased,” Bista said during a function held here to mark the occasion. The Simons family of New York City have agreed to provide $ 2 million for the new hospital wing that will consist of a 140-bed obstetrics/gynecology (Ob/Gynae) annex and a nursery. According to Dr Mark Zimmerman, the medical director at Patan Hospital, the new wing will also provide added rooms for medicine and surgery wards. The number of beds in both the surgical and medical wards will be doubled from the current 42 and 45 beds in each ward, respectively. “The hospital will see 25 new births each day after the construction of the new maternity ward,” Dr Zimmerman said. Dr Zimmerman told this daily that Patan Hospital was launching another project in the next two months - the Nick Simons Institute. Jim Simons of the donor family said the new wing was a small contribution of the family towards fulfilling Nick’s dream of serving the people of Nepal. “Losing somebody dear to you gives you the insight to help others in need,” Simons said.