Dr Govinda KC on Sunday decided to call off his hunger strike after the government agreed to address some of his demands.

Dr KC has been on a hunger strike for the last 15 days demanding reforms in the medical education sector, implementation of past agreements and impeachment of Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority chief Lok Man Singh Karki.

As per an agreement reached late on Sunday, the government will buy the infrastructure of the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS). The MMIHS is backed by CPN-UML members and a bill seeking to make it an autonomous academy is under consideration in Parliament. Withdrawal of the bill is one of Dr KC’s demands.  According to the agreement reached with Dr KC, the infrastructure of the  MMIHS will be used by the National Academy of Medical Sciences. “The government will immediately begin the process to acquire the infrastructure of the MMIHS,” said Dr Ranjan Sapkota of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Regarding impeachment of CIAA chief Karki, Dr KC was informed that the issue has already entered Parliament.

It has also been agreed that the government will make necessary amendments to the Health Profession Education Commission Bill that calls for free medical seats in government medical colleges and establishing medical schools in each province.

Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former vice-chancellor of TU; Leela Mani Paudyal, former chief secretary; Dr Ramesh Kanta Adhikari, former dean of the Institute of Medicine; Dr Ranjan Sapkota of TUTH and Suman Acharya of the IoM represented Dr KC while Dr Sinendra Upreti, secretary at the Ministry of Health; Laba Dev Awasthi, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Education and Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office represented the government in the talks.

Police rain batons

Kathmandu: Police on Sunday baton-charged demonstrators and arrested nine of them while they were trying to picket the head office of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in Tangal. The demonstrators had taken to the streets in support of Dr Govinda KC who has been staging a hunger strike for the last 15 days demanding reforms in the medical education sector and impeachment of CIAA chief Lok Man Singh Karki. (PR)