Valley
Dr KC to end hunger strike today
Dr Govinda KC will break his 10th hunger strike Sunday, Dr Ranjan Sapkota, a member of the talks team representing the fasting surgeon, said on Saturday after a 12-point agreement was reached between government officials and Dr KC’s representatives.Manish Gautam
Dr Govinda KC will break his 10th hunger strike Sunday, Dr Ranjan Sapkota, a member of the talks team representing the fasting surgeon, said on Saturday after a 12-point agreement was reached between government officials and Dr KC’s representatives.
Dr KC, however, is yet to approve the deal.
The environment for making Dr KC end his fast, which entered 21st day on Saturday, was created following the appointment of Dr Jagadish Agrawal as the new dean of the Institute of Medicine.
The deal will be formalised on Sunday, following which Dr KC will end his fast, said a member of Dr KC’s team.
A meeting of the TU Executive Council decided to appoint Dr Agrawal as the new IoM dean in line with the demand of Dr Govinda KC on Saturday morning, a day after Dr KP Singh resigned.
Dr KC’s team and government officials prepared the 12-point deal following marathon talks on Saturday.
Dr KC earlier had refused to end his fast, saying Tirtha Khaniya be dismissed from the post of vice-chancellor of the Tribhuvan University, the parent institute of the IoM.
After Dr Agrawal’s appointment, a draft agreement was prepared in a bid to end Dr KC’s hunger strike, but the fasting doctor has expressed some reservations and sought some changes.
On Saturday morning, a mass rally was organised in the Capital to pressure the government to address the demands of Dr KC.
Hundreds of people marched from Maitighar to Baneshwor, chanting slogans against TU VC Khaniya and Education Minister Dhaniram Poudel.
Agreement
- Formation of a judicial commission to probe into anomalies in the medical education sector and TU VC Tirtha Khaniya
- Dr JP Agrawal new dean of IoM
- MBBS fees in Valley Rs3.5 million and Rs3.8 million outside Valley
- Implementation of decision on autonomy to the IoM
- Halting affiliation process until Health Profession Education Commission (HPEC) is formed
- Start of process to form HPEC
- Expediting Lokman Singh Karki impeachment process
- Start of process to take action against officials found guilty by the Jay Ram Giri Committee
- Start of process to establish medical colleges in each province
- Implementation of past deals
- Government to take ownership of the agreement
- Formation of a mechanism to monitor the deals reached