Bir Hospital is designated for Covid-19 treatment

 Since the number of coronavirus (Covid-19) infected has been increasing in the Kathmandu valley lately, the government has decided to develop Bir Hospital as the dedicated hospital for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

A meeting of the Health Emergency Command System held today decided to develop Bir Hospital as the dedicated hospital for treatment of Covid-19 patients, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population Dr Jageshwor Gautam.

The regular health care services delivered from the Bir Hospital will be provided from the National Trauma Centre, he said, adding that even the patients of the Bir Hospital would be shifted to the National Trauma Centre, after the latest move of the government.

Earlier, the government has already dedicated Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital and Armed Police Force Hospital in Balambu for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. “The Ministry and Health Service Department will deploy medical students from different medical institutions as volunteers for the prevention and control of coronavirus infection after signing a contract agreement,” he added. “The volunteers will visit the coronavirus infected places for awareness raising events.”

Likewise, Finance Ministry has released a budget for 60 ICU beds. Dr Gautam confirmed that those ICU beds would be readied at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) and Dhulikhel Hospital.

Dr KC ends his 24-day-long hunger strike, slams government for policy level corruption

Senior orthopedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC has ended his 16the hunger strike on the 24th day today evening, a day after the upper house endorsed the controversial National Medical educational Bill without favouring amendments.
Organising a press meet at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Dr KC announced the end of his hunger strike by drinking juice from the hand of sanitation staffer at TU Teaching Hospital Amrit Puraji, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki and former Speaker Damannath Dhungana.
He, however, said that he would continue his protests in a different way for reforms in Medical Education Bill. Warning that he would stage the 17th hunger strike again if his demands were not fulfilled by the government, he also alsmed the Prime Minister KP Oli for betraying not only the Mathema report and medical students but the entire 30 million Nepali citizens.
Saying that he would not accept the bill that was forcefully endorsed by the Parliament the surgeon expressed that he would continue his struggle against the policy-level corruption that has gripped the medical education sector. "I will fight until I initiate reform in the medical education sector,” he said prior to being transferred to TUTH Intensive Care Unit for further treatment.
Earlier today, former President Ram Baran Yadav, former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana and Former TU Vice-Chancellor Kedar Bhakta Mathema reached TUTH to urge Dr KC to end his hunger strike.
Yesterday, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Gagan Thapa visited Dr KC at the hospital. They urged him to end his hunger strike saying that the incumbent government is 'merciless and irresponsbile'.
Earlier, Ministry of Health and Population warned to jail doctors, who shut down all health services supporting the agitating surgeon.
Though Dr KC had been staging the hunger strike demanding that the National Medical Education Bill be endorsed in the Parliament as per the agreement signed with him in the 15th hunger strike by the incumbent Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, the government turned its blind eye to his hunger strike and tabled the bill. The bill has already been endorsed from the federal House of Representatives and National Assembly by a majority.
Dr KC begun his 16th hunger strike in Ilam from January 9 after the government failed to endorse the Medical Education Bill in line with the agreement signed with him earlier. Later, he was brought to Kathmandu after his health deteriorated.

Ruling party bulldozes medical bill through House

The ruling party today bulldozed the Parliament to pass the controversial National Medical Education Bill trampling on an earlier agreement reached with Dr Govinda KC. Refusing to acknowledge the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) used its two-thirds majority and hundreds of marshalls in the House to endorse the Bill.
During the forceful move by the government, House Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara is blamed to be sided with the government going beyond his non-partisan role. "It will have far-reaching consequences – in terms of politics as well as the future of the medical education sector – blamed the main opposition.
The government has moved ahead in an authoritarian style to push the bill through the House, NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba said, blaming the Speaker for failing to maintain dignity of his post. He also warned of more protests – both from the streets and Parliament – in coming days.
Demanding that the National Medical Education Bill be endorsed in its original form, Dr KC – who has been staging his 16th hunger strike for the last 17 days – had written an open letter to the parliament yesterday, calling on NCP lawmakers to abide by the agreement Prime Minister KP Oli had reached with him on July 26, during his 15th fast-unto death hunger strike.
The parliamentary committee – with the ruling party's majority – had passed the Bill amending some crucial provisions against the agreement reached with Dr KC. The NCP has claimed that the bill addresses 95 per cent of the fasting surgeon demand of reforms in the medical education sector. But manipulating 5 per cent has raised serious questions on the ruling party's intention either it wants to create socialist education system or acting on behalf of some controversial investors of medical colleges.
The NC had obstructed House proceedings on Monday and Tuesday demanding the government to run two hospitals named after Nepali Congress leaders and late Prime Ministers – Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala – by the federal government likme the other 9 hospitals. Earlier, the government had excluded the two hospitals – among the 11 hospitals – from under federal government.
But the Speaker Mahara today increased the number of marshalls as the ruling party was preparing to pass the Bill by force.
With the beginning of the House, the NC parliamentarians started shouting slogans. Amid the chaos, the Speaker gave time to NC lawmaker Pushpa Bhusal to air her views. The fellow Congress lawmakers continued shouting slogans and moved towards the bell – after Bhusal finished her speech – but mobilising more marshalls, Speaker Mahara allowed education minister Giriraj Mani Pokhrel time to table the bill at the parliament.
Amid the obstruction of NC lawmakers, Pokhrel tabled the Bill, and the Speaker called for discussion. Since nobody from ruling party wanted to speak and opposition were busy in protesting, Speaker Mahara presented the Bill to the House for final approval. The ruling NCP lawmakers passed the Bill with 'yes' votes as there was no response for 'no' votes call since the opposition NC lawmakers were continuing their protests.
Mahara then declared that the 'Bill has been endorsed by majority votes.'
The NC lawmaker Gagan Thapa – also a former health minister – after forceful approval of the Bill accused the NCP (NCP) of playing 'politics of negation.'
Thapa also took exception to the role played by Mahara as the House Speaker. "The Speaker failed to keep his word as he had in the morning vowed to seek a solution through dialogue,” he said.
After parliament's fiasco, the fasting surgeon held a brief press meet at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital where (TUTH) – where he is staging his hunger strike – and reminding the government of six demands other than the medical bill. Dr KC also clarified that he would continue his fast-unto death and demanded that Prime Minister Oli's resignation on 'moral grounds', as Oli failed to keep his agreement.

Dr Govinda KC announces 16th hunger strike

Betrayed by the two-third majority communist government led by KP Sharma Oli again, senior orthopedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) Dr Govinda KC has begun a fresh hunger strike, his sixteenth, from 5:00 pm today.
Dr KC had announced a day after to stage another round of hunger strike, if the government failed to endorse the Medical Education Bill in line with the agreement signed with him earlier. He decided to start fast-unto-death – on the premises of an old office building of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction – after Education and Health Committee of the Legislature Parliament today afternoon endorsed the report on Medical Education Bill against the agreement signed with him.
Addressing journalist – at Ilam in Province 1 – Dr KC said that the draft bill does not accommodate his demands as per the nine-point agreement reached earlier between Oli government and him on July 26 ending the doctor’s 15th hunger strike. Earlier in June, Dr KC had begun his 15th hunger strike at Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla. He was later air lifted to Kathmandu.
The government had then agreed to address Dr KC's demands while bringing the law, but according to Dr KC, the government has again betrayed him, prompting KC to begin his hunger strike. "The Medical Education Bill should be endorsed as per the letter and spirit of the agreement at the earliest,” demanded the anti-corruption crusader. "But the draft endorsed by the sub-committee today afternoon does not address provisions of the agreement that the government signed with him.
The draft has provisions to allow institutions outside Kathmandu valley that have already acquired letters of intent and built necessary infrastructure to operate.
The agreement reached with Dr KC calls for phasing out short-term CTEVT courses within five years after the enactment of the bill. However, the draft bill states that a decision on this issue, including phasing out and or upgrading certain CTEVT courses, will be taken as per the recommendation of a task force that will be formed in the future.
Dr KC – issuing a statement today from Ilam – has put forth six-point demand including passing National Medical Education Bill without change, taking action against 43 officials of TU as per the recommendation of the high level National Medical Education Commission led by former Judge Gauri Bahadur Karki. The demand also includes a fair and effective investigation on the mysterious case of Nirmala Panta’s rape and murder, and justice to the victims of a decade long Maoist conflict.
Dr KC was warning the government to pass the Bill according to the agreement, or he will start 16th fast unto death immediately after the agreement with the incumbent government.
The strike which was expected to be announced on January 2 was put off till January 9 following a request from the Parliament’s Education and Health Committee chairman Jayapuri Gharti Magar, to withhold the decision. Lawmaker Gharti had asked for sometime to discuss on the Medical Education Bill while expressing commitment to fully honour the agreement.
But the report on the National Medical Education Bill- 2075 BS that has been endorsed by the Education and Health Committee under the House of Representatives, has failed to address the nine-point agreement reached between Dr KC and the government on July 26 ending the doctor’s 15th hunger strike.
The committee meeting today passed the report with a majority as 14 among 18 members present voted in favour of the document. Four members from the opposition parties stood against the report. Committee chair Jayapuri Gharti had presented the report seeking its endorsement before the meeting.
Though, a committee member Yogesh Bhattarai claimed that the bill has addressed the past agreements, another committee member and former health minister Gagan Kumar Thapa presented a differing view on the bill. THapa said that it was really unfortunate that the report on the bill was passed by the committee on the basis of majority against the government-Dr KC agreement, while Bhattarai was of the view that Dr KC should accept the document.
Likewise, another member Umakant Chaudhary also termed the bill as against the agreement between the government and Dr KC.

The bill includes;
• No letter of intent shall be awarded to establish and operate a medical institution to run the bachelor-level programmes on medical, dental and nursing subjects in Kathmandu Valley for the next ten years;
• One has to pass the central entrance exam to pursue medical education and anyone completing the medical education with government scholarship must complete two years mandatory service in a government-run medical institution;
• A university shall not be allowed to grant affiliation to more than five medical education teaching institutions to run the medical classes, but in case of those colleges, which have already obtained the affiliations and completed the criteria, decision shall be taken by the National Medical Education Commission (proposed in the bill);
• No teaching institution shall be given a letter of intent for running classes and internship (towards medical) until they have at least a 300-bed hospital in operation and for conducting the classes towards dental and nursing programmes, the operation of a 100-bed (at least) facility is mandatory;
• The National Medical Education Commission shall fix polices and criteria regarding the determination of standard and level of all medical education related programmes at the center and province and give required direction to Universities and Council in regard with the medical education;
• A body assigned by the National Medical Education Commission shall conduct programmes of proficiency certificate level under the CTEVT;
• The public medical institution shall allocate at least 50 per cent of the total available seats under the bachelor level programmes free of cost;
• A medical university shall be established and operated while medical education-related teaching institutes shall be gradually transferred into non-profitable and serve-oriented organisations.