The government has agreed to amend the provisions about treatment in the new General Criminal Code.
The government has agreed to move the amendment process forward after the dialogue between Minister of State for Health and Population Surendra Kumar Yadav and office-bearers of the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) Monday afternoon.
"We are ready to address their demands but we have to coordinate with the Law Ministry on the issue. We are preparing the draft and send it to the Law Ministry. We hope they will take back their agitation by tomorrow," State Minister Yadav told Setopati.
He revealed that the doctors want the process of action mentioned and the deadline for complaints set. "We are ready on both these demands."
The NMA while accepting that the dialogue was positive, however, stated that the protest program will be taken back only after the amendment proposal is registered in the parliament. "State Minister asked us to take back the protest program saying they will register the amendment bill through the Law Ministry," said NMA President Mukti Ram Shrestha who was also present during the dialogue. "We said the amendment proposal should be registered in the parliament first. We will take back the protest program within two-three minutes of registration of the amendment bill."
The dialogue that continued for almost three hours was focused on provisions in the clauses 230-233 of new General Criminal Code.
"We gave them the points that have to be amended. They are positive about all those issues and said they will write to the Law Ministry tomorrow," Shrestha said.
The doctors have started agitation across the country from Sunday stating that they were not consulted before drafting the law and the provisions have been kept in a malicious manner.
The doctors stopped services except emergency on Sunday protesting the provision about medical treatment in the new General Code. Administrative works have been stopped in hospitals across the country even on Monday.
