Health Minister urges agitating doctors to withdraw protest

Minister for Health and Population, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, has urged protesting doctors to pull out their agitation expressing the government’s commitment to taking action against those involved in mistreating doctors and health workers.

In the meeting of the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee under the House of Representatives today, the minister urged the agitating doctors in this regard. Lately, investigations into maltreatment against doctors in four hospitals are underway, he informed. He also expressed the government’s pledge to ensure security of doctors.

“The government is serious about a long-term solution to this problem. The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched investigations into four incidents of mistreatment of doctors lately. I urge protesting doctors to withdraw and return to work,” he said.

The process of adding quotas of positions for health workers has proceeded to resolve most of the problems in the heath sector, he informed. “A lack of quotas of posts for health workers is main factor behind most of problems taking place in the health sector. The process of adding quotas is underway. Prime Minister is positive about it.”

Similarly in the meeting, Home Secretary Dinesh Bhatta asked the agitating doctors to pull back their protest and return to work. “The security administration is effortful to take action against those involved in the mistreatments of doctors. I urge them to be sensible abut problems facing general people due to the protest,” he said.

The protesting doctors said they were forced to take to the streets for their security. They demanded action against those involved in the incident at the Manipal Teaching Hospital. The Committee President Bhanu Bhakta Joshi said a long-term solution would be sought after launching a field-investigation into the mistreatment against medical professionals.