Dr Govinda KC, senior orthopaedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) who has already staged multiple hunger strikes demanding reforms in the medical education sector, has warned that he will stage another round of hunger strike if the Health Profession Education (HPE) ordinance is not tabled in the Parliament at the earliest.

Dr KC, among other stakeholders, has expressed discontent after the government didn't table the HPE ordinance though it tabled the ordinance related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and ordinance on the election of members of National Assembly at the Parliament.

At a time when the deadline set by the constitution is going to expire soon, Dr KC said that the government’s apathy towards tabling the HPE ordinance in the Parliament has raised doubts.

“I have already staged hunger strike for five times demanding reforms in the medical sector,” he said, adding, “There is still time to table the ordinance and I want the government to table the ordinance in the Parliament without hesitation so that the Parliament can endorse it.”

The crusader said that he would stage another round of hunger strike if the government did not table the ordinance in the Parliament by mid-April.

Earlier on November 10 last year, the ordinance incorporating all major provisions demanded by Dr Govinda KC was enforced as HPE Act to meet his demands following presidential authentication.

As per the constitutional provision, the government should present the ordinance in the Parliament within 60 days of the beginning of the Parliament session or the ordinance would be scrapped automatically if the ordinance is not replaced by presenting the bill.

Former Health Minister and Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa said that the government was not serious towards tabling the ordinance in the Parliament.

The ruling CPN-UML has been protesting the bill since the beginning as it was widely believed to be against the party’s interest.

The ordinance was moved as demanded by Dr KC in line with the recommendations of a team of experts led by educationist Kedar Bhakta Mathema.

As the HPE ordinance, which seeks to put a 10-year moratorium on new medical schools in Kathmandu Valley, is against the lobby of many leaders in the left alliance, it will be interesting to see how it fares in the House having two-thirds members from the two ruling allies.

If provisions of the ordinance are upheld, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, owned by CPN-UML leaders, will not be licensed to provide medical education for 10 years. There is a high chance of the law being repealed or passed after revision.