On September 9, on the 101st birth anniversary of the late Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) celebrated its 21st anniversary. BPKIHS is one of the leading medical institutes in the country and it provides excellent health services to almost 1,500 patients from Nepal and India every day. As a medical institute, BPKIHS is also well-known for producing quality medical graduates and health workers. Each year, 350 medical graduates and health workers complete their course from BPKIHS. The facilities provided by the institute to its staff and doctors are far better than those provided by any other institute in Nepal.  

In crisis

In its initial days, BPKIHS was running very smoothly but lately, it has landed in deep trouble. In the past few months, frequent strikes by junior residents and unauthorised staff at the hospital have tarnished its reputation and caused it to lose Rs 2 million.

This time around, a strike has been called by the Staffs’ Welfare Society, an organisation legally approved by the institute. Today marks the 27th day of the strike. The reason behind the strike is that the governing body of the institute has not fulfilled its strikers’ demand of an increase in salary and other facilities to BPKIHS staff. Though the strike might have been the last resort of the hospital staff, is it justifiable to halt all health facilities provided by the institute to its patients?

No patient should have to ever return from any hospital without receiving treatment under any circumstance. The patients’ troubles should not be underestimated and the service they ought to receive should never be compromised on. Preventing a patient from getting treatment should not be a basis for fulfilling the demands of any agitating group. Pondering this, a few months ago, the Supreme Court of Nepal directed that health services could not be obstructed in the name of a strike. Nobody, therefore, is allowed to stop the delivery of health services at any hospital. But going by recent news, no one seems to be following the order. It is not only BPKIHS, but many other hospitals in different parts of the country are also suffering from such strikes and unethical activities.

Call off the strike

Nonetheless, in case of BPIKHS, some demands are genuine and must be addressed as soon as possible. For instance, in the last two fiscal years, the government doubled the salary of government officials but there was no raise in income for staff and doctors at BPKIHS. Lower-level staff at the hospital already earn very less. So leading officials at the institute and the concerned ministry must consider the problem and look for sources to raise salaries. They can even ask the government to fulfill to step in with funds.

Strikes by their nature are self-destructive. It is the same for BPKIHS too. By calling a strike, the BPIKHS staff is weakening the institute, which is also their source of income. Every strike pushes the institute further back. So instead of calling a strike, we must look at other ways to generate pressure.

While it may be true that leading officials have not worked to sincerely address the demands of the Staffs’ Welfare Society, the agitating groups should also understand that the hospital should not be closed down for so long. Long strikes will never help the institute, either economically and academically or from the public point of view. So it is high time to change the pattern of strikes. If patients are able to avail of health services when the strike is called off, it will send a positive message to the public and they will think that institute takes its duty of serving the public very seriously. In fact, it will be a victory for the agitating group with regards to public responsibility. One can create pressure without calling a strike and without hampering the patients’ right to treatment.

Additionally, strikes should be discouraged, not only for hospitals but also in other sectors, as they all hamper the delivery of public services. The Staffs’ Welfare Society should, therefore, change the mode of the strike and reopen Out Patient Services at BPKIHS. This will ultimately  help improve the institute. Agitating groups must understand that their career is based on the future of the institute and they must work to improve the institute at any cost.

Sah is house officer at BPKIHS Emergency