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Dr Govinda KC: Won’t deal with staff, send minister for the talks

Dr Govinda KC during his hunger strike in Jumla in July 2018.

Kathmandu, July 18

Medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC says he and his representatives will not hold talks with the government unless it forms a new team under the leadership of a minister.

Earlier, the Cabinet meeting formed a three-member team headed by Education Secretary Khaga Raj Baral. The team has already held a couple of rounds of talks with Dr KC’s representatives, but in vain.

During a meeting held between the two teams today, Dr KC’s representatives–Dr Abhishek Raj Singh, senior advocate Surendra Bhandari, advocate Om Prakash Aryal, and some members of Nepal Medical Association–demanded that the current team be dissolved to continue the talks.

“The possibility of reaching a resolution with the secretary level team is very slim,” Dr Singh says, “Therefore, we demand a ministerial level team be formed.”

Dr KC also issued a statement today itself from Jumla, where  he has been on a fast-unto-death for last 19 days demanding a new medical education law in line with recommendations of Kedar Bhakta Mathema-led panel. In the statement, he said the current team was formed just for the sake of formality. He thus argued that holding talks with this team was meaningless.

“We request the government to immediately withdraw the Medical Education Bill and send a new talk team with a full mandate,” the statement reads, “Only then, we will sit for another round of talks.”

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