Senior orthopedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Dr Govinda KC began his tenth indefinite hunger strike on Sunday.

The announcement came a day after Prof Dr Keshab Prasad Singh was appointed the dean at the TU Institute of Medicine (IoM).

The Tribhuvan University appointed Singh on Saturday based on the recommendation of the Dean Selection Committee.

In a statement on Sunday, Dr KC opposed the appointment arguing that it breaches the established norm of selecting the candidate based on seniority.

Dr KC began the hunger strike at 5pm, putting forth a nine-point demand, including cancellation of the appointment of TU Vice-chancellor Tritha Raj Khaniya.

The crusader insists that Prof Dr Jagadish Prasad Agrawal should be the IoM dean based on seniority. If this criterion is flouted, appointments at the IoM would be based on political affiliation, which would ultimately favour agendas of the “medical mafia”.

Dr KC also raised concerns over the delay in impeaching suspended chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority Lokman Singh Karki. He has also warned against granting affiliation to new medical colleges in Kathmandu until the new Medical Education Act is endorsed.

KC has asked the government to pass the Act without delay and fast-track the process to open a medical college in each province as agreed earlier. He has waged a sustained fight for reforms in the medical education sector.