As the festive holidays are over, preparations are underway for discussions on Tuesday between the hospital administration, government task force, and Affin Gandaki, engaging in talks with the protesting nurses in Pokhara.
What you should know
Nurses working in various private hospitals and educational institutions across the country have been wearing black armbands since November 20, demanding government-level wages. The Nepal Nursing Association has given the government a deadline of November 20 to create an environment for their demands to be met.
The committee formed to discuss addressing the demands of nurses had formed a provincial-level task force on Kartik 2 to understand the situation in all seven provinces. The task force formed after that decision has started its work in Pokhara. Since the nurses' protest has flared up in Pokhara, the task force plans to try to bring private hospital operators and nurses here to an agreement.
Dr. Ramesh Kumar KC, a member of the task force, said that preparations are underway to discuss the demands of nurses with representatives of the Association of Private Health Institutions (AFIN) Gandaki on Tuesday.
He said that efforts will be made to reach an agreement between hospital operators and nurses here since the protest has flared up in Pokhara. 'We have been given the responsibility to send suggestions. Since the protest has started from here, we will also try to do something to fulfill the demands during the discussion,' he said.
The first meeting of the task force was held on Sunday. The background of the nurses' protest and its impact were discussed there. After this, AFIN representatives have been called for the second meeting to be held on Tuesday.
Private health institution operators are also not ready to fully meet the demands of nurses. AFIN Gandaki President Kapil Pokharel said that their 'bottom line' is to be ready to add some more to the minimum wage as per the Labor Act. He expressed dissatisfaction saying that the task force was formed without including employers as members. 'Any employer has been left out. We have objections to this,' he said.
Apart from the government task force, the hospital administration of Pokhara is also in talks with the agitating nurses. Since both sides have not reached an agreement regarding the demands, it has not been successful. President Pokharel said that negotiations with the agitating nurses will resume from Tuesday as the Tihar and Chhath holidays are over.
Before the union government formed the task force, the provincial Health Ministry had held discussions with nurses and private health operators. No agreement could be reached from those discussions. Currently, after the Nursing Association took ownership of the movement, discussions and decisions on this issue have been centered in Kathmandu.
Gandaki government's Health Minister Krishna Prasad Pathak said that both sides need to find a point of agreement. He believes that if private health institutions are unable to pay wages as per the government's decision, they should be assured of how long it will take to meet their demands. 'The nurses have demanded the same as the government. The operators say they cannot,' he added, 'The operators should also tell us when they can pay as per the nurses' demands, one year, two years. It is necessary to create a win-win situation by agreeing on some point.'
He said that the issue of wages should not be a weakness in a sensitive sector like health. He said that after the task force formed in the province submits its report, they will move forward according to the suggestions from the association.
The protest started by nurses at Nepal Manipal Teaching Hospital and Gandaki Medical College in Pokhara since October 24 has also started in other parts of the country. Nurses at both hospitals in Pokhara are wearing black armbands at work during duty hours and then sitting in protest all day. The Nursing Association has decided to close all non-essential nursing services from 10 am to 12 pm from Kartik 12 to 19 if their demands are not met by Tuesday. The association has already warned the government through a demand letter that it will announce a stronger agitation if their demands are not met by Kartik 18.
Services at Manipal and Gandaki Medical Colleges in Pokhara have been affected for the past two weeks after the nurses went on strike. Although outpatient services remain open, both hospitals have not admitted new patients. Therefore, doctors have referred patients who need to be admitted to other hospitals.
