The Nepal Medical Association (NMA) has halted all but emergency services in hospitals and other health institutions across the country in protest against the recent attack on doctors in Hetauda.
Doctors wore black armbands to hospitals on Sunday as part of the protest.
The protesting doctors held placards that read “Jail without bail” and “There is no justification for violence against doctors”, among others.
They have demanded security for doctors and other health professionals.
Dr Bikash Thapa and Dr Prashant Bidari were brutally thrashed by a mob on September 13 citing the death of Rajesh Pradhan of Padampokhari, Hetauda-12, during treatment over a month back.
The incident came to the fore after a video of the doctors being attacked by a mob was widely circulated on social media.
District Police Office, Makawanpur, arrested Rajesh’s wife Rama Pradhan, daughter Ramita, son Rohit and nephew Anup on September 14.
Rajesh Pradhan, 42, died while undergoing treatment at Chitwan Medical College on August 10. He was admitted at Sancho Hospital on August 7 with pneumonia following dengue infection. The hospital says that it had advised to keep the patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) but the family wanted to keep him in the general ward. The family later agreed to keep him in the high dependency unit (HDU). He was then referred to Chitwan Medical College the next night after his health deteriorated.
It is now revealed that the patient was also brought to Sancho Hospital a few days back with report of dengue infection. The hospital had prescribed medicines and sent the patient home deeming that his condition did not require hospitalization.
The family attacked doctors at the hospital a month after the death of Pradhan claiming that the patient’s health deteriorated after the hospital sent him home.
