Resident doctors of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, began an indefinite strike on Thursday, demanding payment of salary due for the past eight months.

They halted all services, except for emergency, and picketed the hospital. The hospital has around 200 resident doctors. 

“Eight months is a very long time to survive without salary,” Dr Sumit Pandey, president of the National Resident Doctors Association, told the Post. 

“The resident doctors were forced to halt their work.”  

The association has urged the Maharajgunj Medical Council (MMC), the Institute of Medicine (IoM), and the Ministry of Health and Population to address their concern. The number of resident doctors at the hospital is four times that of the non-residents. Services have been hit due to the strike. More than 1,000 patients visit the hospital daily.

An emergency meeting called by the Health Ministry with the association’s representatives and the officials of the MMC and the IOM in a bid to end the doctors’ strike concluded with the ministry pledging to urge the Finance Ministry to provide funds to pay up the salary arrears. But the assurance did not satisfy the protesting doctors.

“The strike will continue on Friday as well. It will not stop until we get our salary,” said Pandey.