Talks between the government team and representatives of Dr Govinda KC protracted until late on Thursday after the issue of granting affiliation to new medical colleges became a bone of contention.

According to Dr Surendra Bhandari, a member of the talks team representing Dr KC, said the dialogue failed to reach an agreement after the government side refused to remove the point on stopping the establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years.

Talking to journalists after the meeting at Singha Durbar this evening, Bhandari said: “The government team has been seeking the annulment of the provision to grant affiliation to new medical colleges. But we haven’t agreed on that. We are trying to reach breakthrough.”

When asked about their response if the government refuses to budge from its stand, Bhandari said, “We won’t accept that. Dr KC has said he will continue his hunger strike, if agreement couldn’t be forged on the issue of affiliation.”

Following the meeting at Singha Durbar, both the teams of government and Dr KC said they were heading to Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar.

Dr KC’s 15^th fast-unto-death marked 27^th day on Thursday. He started his indefinite hunger strike on June 30 in Jumla demanding that medical education law should be drafted based on the recommendations made by Mathema commission report.

Dr KC has strong reservations over the government's attempt to introduce the National Medical Education Bill by altering major provisions of the Medical Education Ordinance, introduced during the tenure of erstwhile Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, so as to allow establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley.

Talks between the government team and representatives of Dr KC failed on Wednesday after the former refused to negotiate the provisions of controversial National Medical Education Bill that is the key demand of the doctor on indefinite hunger strike.

 The panel told the government to incorporate demands like imposing a moratorium on setting up medical colleges in the Kathmandu Valley for 10 years; mandatory for a hospital to run for three years before it expands into a medical college; allowing one university grant affiliation to maximum of five medical colleges and assuring 75 percent scholarship in government medical colleges.