Kathmandu: The government and agitating nurses, who had been protesting against low wages, have reached a consensus. This agreement was formalized on Saturday following discussions held at the Ministry of Health and Population.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the agreement was signed by government officials and representatives of the nurses, bringing an end to the ongoing protests. Ministry’s Spokesperson Dr. Prakash Budhathoki announced that the nurses would cease their protest activities from Sunday, as the government has conceded to their demands.
Dr. Budhathoki detailed that, starting from the month of Kartik, private medical colleges and large private hospitals will be required to pay nurses a minimum monthly salary of Rs 34,730, aligning with the wages of fifth level government employees. In addition, private hospitals are mandated to initially pay 80 percent of the salary scale based on their capacity, with a full transition to the government scale expected within a month post the classification of the hospital.
He further mentioned that a task force has been established to study the issue and will submit a report with recommendations within a month. This will ensure that the remaining hospitals also adjust their salaries to meet government standards.
Present at the discussions were Minister for Health Dr. Sudha Sharma Gautam, Ministry’s Secretary Dr. Bikas Devkota, Dr. Budhathoki, and representatives from the Nursing Association of Nepal and private medical colleges.