The government has postponed plans to send burn victim Ganesh Nepali to India after doctors treating him at Bir Hospital advised that he was too unstable to be transferred.

Nepali, 25, from ward 1 of Soru Rural Municipality in Mugu district, was set to be flown to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi after doctors initially recommended advanced treatment there.

The government had completed preparations for an air ambulance, arranged his transfer from the Indian airport to AIIMS, and announced that the state would cover all medical expenses.

Home Minister Sudan Gurung personally oversaw preparations for the evacuation, with Nepal Police and traffic police deployed overnight to clear the route to the airport.

But doctors changed their recommendation after Nepali’s condition became unstable while he was being treated in the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Bir Hospital. They warned that moving him in his current condition could further endanger his life.

Doctors have advised that he should be taken abroad only after his condition improves. Gurung and members of Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s secretariat remain on standby at Bir Hospital.

Nepali was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department at around 3 pm on Thursday after setting himself on fire outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. Doctors say he has suffered burns to around 55 percent of his body and is currently on a ventilator.

A 21-member specialist team led by Dr Peeyush Dahal, head of Bir Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Department, is treating him. The team includes burns unit chief Dr Apar Lamichhane, critical care specialist Dr Nirman Gyawali, anaesthetist Dr Jaya Prakash Thakur, Professor Dr Raviram Shrestha and nursing staff.

Doctors are using intensive medication to control his blood pressure and stabilise his condition.

Nepali, a ride-hailing driver from Mugu, had been living in Kathmandu while preparing to seek foreign employment in Dubai and studying for government service examinations. His family says he had become increasingly distressed by repeated encounters with Kathmandu Metropolitan City police while working. A week before the incident, he had messaged his nephew saying metropolitan police had locked his motorcycle and fined him Rs1,000 while he was collecting goods.

According to police, Nepali set himself on fire outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar after his motorcycle was wheel-locked by metropolitan police for obstructing public movement. Metropolitan police officials said he refused to pay the fine and the incident occurred as officers were preparing to remove the vehicle. His family, however, has blamed repeated fines and pressure faced by economically vulnerable workers for worsening his distress.

Nepali’s elder brother said he was able to speak briefly after reaching Bir Hospital and blamed metropolitan authorities for what happened. His family said he was the main earner for his wife and young daughter and had moved to Kathmandu from Mugu in search of better opportunities.