At least seventeen doctors were arrested while they were staging a demonstration to express solidarity with Dr Govinda KC. KC has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for the past 23 days demanding reforms in country’s medical education and health care system.

According to Dr Sumit Pandey, Chairman at the National Resident Doctors’ Association, police arrested the doctors while they were heading towards the President’s Office building after staging a demonstration on the premises of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Friday.

The arrestees have been identified as Chairman of National Resident Doctors’ Association Sumit Pandey, Dr Bishal Agrawal, Dr Anit Sharma, Dr Ananda Singh, Dr Hemanta Bastola, Dr BadriAryal and Dr Apurba Acharya, among others.

Read: Opposition blocks government bid to push medical education bill

Earlier on Thursday, the Nepal Medical Association, the umbrella body of medical and dental doctors across the country, had warned that it would shut down all the services except emergency in all the hospitals—government and private—on Friday.

The NMA had been organising a relay hunger strike for the past four days demanding the government save the life of Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging his 16th hunger strike for the last 23 days objecting to the amendments made to the National Medical Education Bill, which was on Thursday endorsed by the National Assembly as well.

Last Friday, lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party had bulldozed the bill through Parliament. But KC said he would continue his hunger strike. 

Read: Only hope of revising the Medical Education Bill ends after Upper House endorses it