A 14-member committee has been formed under the coordination of Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Prof. Dr. Shree Krishna Shrestha. Nurses at various private hospitals and medical colleges across the country are protesting, saying they are not receiving proper remuneration.
What you should know
The government has formed a committee to address the demands related to the remuneration of nursing health workers. The 14-member committee has been formed under the coordination of Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Prof. Dr. Shree Krishna Shrestha. Nurses of various private hospitals and medical colleges in the country are protesting, saying that they are not getting proper remuneration.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki had discussed the issue with a team including the secretary of the Ministry of Health last Thursday and directed them to address the issue immediately.
The first meeting of the committee will be held today and efforts are being made to create an environment for the agitating nurses to return to work, informed the secretary of the ministry, Dr. Bikash Devkota. He said, "The Tihar holiday is starting tomorrow. Since many human resources will be on leave, there will be a pressure of work. Therefore, we are trying to return the agitating parties to work by reaching an agreement today. We also call for them to return to work."
According to Dr. Devkota, the committee will have to submit a preliminary report within a week. The committee's mandate is to submit a report with suggestions on the work to be done to solve the problem in the immediate and long-term. The committee includes Dr. Anup Bastola, head of the Grievance Hearing Unit of the Ministry of Health.
Similarly, the director of the Medical Education Commission, the head of the Nursing and Social Security Division of the Health Services Department, and representatives from the Ministries of Home, Finance, Labor, and Education are also members of the committee.
The Nepal Nursing Council, Nepal Nursing, Nepal Medical and Dental College Associations, the Association of Private Health Institutions of Nepal (AFIN), an umbrella organization of private hospitals, and representatives of the agitating nurses are also included in the committee, while the head of the Medical Services, Education and Research Branch of the Ministry of Health has been appointed as the member secretary.
The nurses are agitating for the basic salary and benefits set by the government. Currently, the basic salary set by the government is Rs 34,730.
