The Government has fulfilled the demand of the opposition Nepali Congress regarding the two hospitals established in the names of its leaders—Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala.

A Cabinet meeting on Monday evening decided to bring both the hospitals under the federal government as demanded by the Congress.

The main opposition had taken exception to the Cabinet decision to not put the two hospitals under the federal government and had even obstructed the House

proceedings last week demanding that the government take back the move.

“Now the NC’s demand on two hospitals has been addressed,” Communications Minister Gokul Banskota, also the government spokesperson, told the Post.

With the fulfillment of its major demand the opposition party, that has been obstructing both the Houses of the federal parliament, will have no strong agenda now to obstruct Parliament.

“We will decide our next move only after seeing the agendas to be presented at Wednesday’s meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC),” said NC Whip Pushpa Bhusal, adding she had also heard that the Cabinet had addressed their major demand regarding the two hospitals.

However, the NC lawmakers claimed that they would now focus on their protests in the House over the Speaker’s biased behavior against the opposition and the decision of the Constitutional Council made without the opposition leader.

Leader of the NC parliamentary party at the National Assembly Surendra Raj Pande refused to comment, claiming that the party would decide only after the official declaration of the Cabinet’s decision. “Let’s not comment on the decision which is not officially revealed,” Pande said.

Ignoring NC’s calls not to let the House run before the Cabinet allows the federal government to look into the two hospitals besides addressing Dr Govinda KC’s demands, the House of Representatives on Friday pushed through the National Medical Education Bill. The bill was tabled at the National Assembly on Sunday amid a protest from NC lawmakers.

Elaborating on the Cabinet’s decision to keep the two hospitals in its previous state as demanded by the Congress, Banskota said the government would inform about that during the upcoming meetings of both the Houses.

Earlier on January 11, Banskota revealed that the Cabinet on January 3 and 7 had decided to bring nine hospitals under the central government, barring the two–Girija Prasad Koirala National Centre for Respiratory Diseases in Dulegaunda, Tanahun, and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital in Khajura, Banke.

NC lawmakers were accusing the government to have excluded the hospitals just because they were established in the name of NC leaders.

While responding to the query of NC lawmaker Minendra Rijal during the question-answer session at the House, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on January 18 had claimed that the government had wished to improve the conditions of the two hospitals instead of scrapping them.