Kathmandu, August 23
Medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC has demanded that the new Civic Code be amended to help doctors concentrate on their jobs and not worry about litigation.
In a statement on Thursday, KC said that the new law prevents doctors from actively seeking treatment for patients and refrain from taking chances. He said that as the country did not have a regulatory body nor robust guidelines to determine whether a death occured because of negligence or not, provisions in the new law are not suitable for Nepal.
According to the new law, doctors of patients who die during the course of treatment can be jailed for up to five years. “As a result of the new provisions, the doctors, instead of thinking of ways to treat the patient, spend time pondering on the legal consequences of their actions, and this hurts the patients.”
The provision will increase the number of cases lower level hospitals refer to the cities as doctors in rural areas will be petrified to intervene, he added.
KC demanded that the government fulfil the promises it made to the doctor’s association and amend the law at the earliest.
