Govt ready to save KC and address his demands, says Bhattarai

Publish date : 11 July, 2018

KATHMANDU, July 11: Ruling party Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leader Yogesh Bhattarai has clarified that the government and the party is ready to address the concerns of agitating Prof. Dr Govinda KC.

His remarks comes at a time when the government is facing a wide criticism for refusing to heed the demands of Dr KC, a senior orthopaedic surgeon of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, who is staging his 15^th hunger strike at Jumla-based Karnali Academy of Health and Sciences (KAHS).

“The government and NCP is ready to save Dr KC and address his justified demands,” said the party standing committee member at an interaction program organized by the Reporters Club Nepal on Wednesday. “We request him to come for talks,” he added.

Dr KC has demanded that the National Medical Education Bill be forwarded as recommended by the Kedar Bhakta Mathema-led committee. The government has registered the medical bill bypassing the recommendations made by Mathema panel which provisions a 10-year moratorium on new medical schools in the Kathmandu valley—apparently opening a door for affiliations to medical colleges owned by leaders, cadres and businessman close to the ruling party.

“Dr KC’s stubbornness and strike from the street cannot solve the problem. KC ji, you end the strike and come to Kathmandu. The government is open for talks,” Bhattarai said adding, “Not in a closed room, if you say, we are ready for live negotiation from public place.”

However leader Bhattarai expressed his doubt over the intention of Dr KC, while accusing him of probably conspiring for barring affiliation to NCP leaders operated medical colleges.

“Why was he mum when Nepali Congress leaders opened 18 medical colleges across the country? Why does he have to start a strike when NCP leaders owned colleges are about to be awarded affiliation?” he fumed.

“Why would he call the NCP leaders medical mafias,” he vented ire.

He was of the view that Mathema panel recommendation should not be necessarily changed into laws as it was merely a report. “It is improper of Dr KC to demand the recommendations be changed into law as it is,” he said.