Kathmandu: Protesting doctors have put off their protest after the government and Nepal Medical Association reached a three-point agreement.
According to National News Agency Nepal, talks were held among Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari, and representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population and the Nepal Medical Council, the umbrella organization of the medical doctors.
Doctors across the country had been staging a protest over the Consumer Court’s verdict that imposed hefty penalties on doctors found guilty of gross negligence leading to serious complications and patients’ deaths. The healthcare providers had been shutting down all services except for emergencies in both private and public healthcare facilities across the nation, leaving patients in a lurch since the protest began last Monday.
The newly inked agreement includes the formation of a task force to furnish recommendations on amending existing legal and policy provisions. The task force is tasked with submitting a report within seven days. It has been agreed that the report received will be submitted to the dialogue team and implemented accordingly. Furthermore, the concerned ministry will seek in-principle consent from the Council of Ministers within 11 days for the necessary amendments to existing legal and policy provisions, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2075 BS. The process for amending the law through the fast-track method will also be taken forward.
As a result of the agreement, the Nepal Medical Association has agreed to suspend all types of protests effective immediately and resume regular services. The doctors had initially launched the protest demanding amendments to the Consumer Protection Act, 2075 BS, after the Consumer Court imposed hefty penalties, including financial compensation to some hospitals and doctors, for negligence in the treatment of patients.