Resident doctors dissatisfied, continue the agitation
An agreement was reached between the Ministry of Health and Population and the Nepal Medical Association on Saturday.
The union had announced a strike demanding that resident doctors be provided with subsistence allowance as per the government budget. The doctors announced the end of the protest after 4 points were agreed between the joint secretary of the health ministry Bhim Prasad Sapkota and the general secretary of the association Sanjiv Tiwari. However, the resident doctor expressed his dissatisfaction with the agreement and said that he will continue the protest.
The Medical Education Commission had decided to give subsistence allowance equal to the eighth level (48 and a half rupees) to resident doctors of private medical colleges on January 25. But the private medical college owners had declared that they could not provide the allowance. After the commission's meeting held last week decided to review the seats and fees of medical education graduate level including MBBS, the college management was ready to give stipend. Experts in medical education have been protesting against the decision to give post graduate allowance on the condition of increasing the seats and fees of the graduate level.
Even though it was decided to give the allowance, the stance of the doctors was to stop the agitation only after getting the money and the position of the medical college management was to provide the allowance only after returning to the college. Some medical colleges have been disagreeing even to return resident doctors who participated in the movement. It is mentioned that the ministry will form a working group and give a report within 15 days on matters such as leave, duty time and facilities for resident doctors, make arrangements for matching and admission of PGs and stop the movement of doctors. According to the Ministry of Health, an agreement was reached with the presence of Health Minister Pradeep Paudel and Association President Anil Vikram Karki.
Minister Paudel has been warning to take action after the medical college refused to give allowance as per the decision of the commission. He said that action should be taken up to the suspension of the work of the college related to the ministry and the cancellation of the affiliation.
