Dr Govinda KC, a senior orthopaedic surgeon, has demanded the immediate removal of Minister for Health and Population Mohan Bahadur Basnet from the post. Dr KC, noted medical reforms crusader, said this after the minister accused him of being responsible for the collapse of Nepal’s medical education.

While addressing a function in Kathmandu on Saturday, Minister Basnet

alleged that Dr KC is being influenced and used by the ‘wrong people’ due to which Nepal’s education sector is collapsing. Basnet had also warned government doctors not to support KC.

Issuing a press statement on Sunday, Dr KC claimed that all the allegations made against him by Minister Basnet are false and fabricated.

“We have been fighting for quality, affordable accessible and free health services, equal access to education, improving quality of education and health care services and for good governance,” reads the statement.

KC claimed that top leaders of political parties, the prime minister, the health minister, members of the parliament’s health and education committee and mafia have been trying to mislead the public to pressure the authorities to provide licenses from CTEVT to unqualified nursing and other health-related colleges run by the political mafia.

“They are trying to create pressure in their favour by spreading false rumours and misleading the public,” Dr KC said in the statement. “This is yet another attempt by the health minister to serve mafia interests.”

KC claimed that unfounded rumours have been spread that Nepalis have been deprived of doctor and nursing education as a result of his protests, Nepali students were forced to go abroad to pursue medical education, and many nursing colleges have cropped in bordering Indian towns eying Nepali students.

“It is proven from the repeated advertisements published in Gorkhapatra and other newspapers by private schools under the CTEVT that dozens of medical seats have been left vacant,” reads the statement. “After on-site monitoring, the team of the government agency concerned reported that no new nursing college has been established in India.”

KC claimed that the health minister, from the very start, has been openly lobbying for the mafia and has been openly pressuring and threatening the government agencies.

“Health Minister Basnet neither has knowledge nor experience related to health,’ reads the statement. “Prachanda (PM Dahal) appointed a corrupt person as the health minister and Deuba (NC president) is compromising on public health by further corrupting a sensitive institution like the health ministry. It is a political and social crime.”

Dr KC has threatened to start a fresh hunger strike from December 29 if agreements reached in the past are not met by December 28. He has in the past staged many hunger strikes to pressure the government to bring reforms to the medical education sector.