Kathmandu, October 9
The government and Dilli Harijan, who was staging a hunger strike for the second time demanding an increase in stipends for medical interns, have reached an agreement.
A three-point agreement was reached between the two sides, under which Harijan’s demands will be presented at a meeting of the Medical Education Commission. He had been on a hunger strike for five days.
The agreement was reached between Harijan’s representatives and a government negotiation team led by Jayaram Adhikari, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Under the agreement, a proposal to provide interns pursuing MBBS, BDS and other programmes requiring a one-year internship with a stipend equivalent to 50 percent of the entry-level salary of an eighth-level health service employee will be presented at the commission’s meeting.
Harijan had also staged a hunger strike in July, following which the government signed an agreement with him on July 7, pledging to address his demands.
However, accusing the government of failing to implement the agreement, Harijan resumed his hunger strike. He began the protest at the premises of the Medical Education Commission in Bhaktapur.
As his health condition deteriorated, he was taken to Bir Hospital for treatment.
