Agitating medical association and health ministry enter into agreement

Kathmandu, Feb 21: Agitating Nepal Medical Association and the Ministry of Health and Population have entered into an agreement. NMA has been on warpath raising their demands on perks and benefits.     

A nine-point agreement has reached following the negotiation held on the presence of Minster for Health Pradeep Paudel today.     

With this, the NMA has agreed to withdraw all the pre-set agitation programmes from today and return to regular work.     

Representatives of NMA and the Ministry officials held talks at the Ministry of Health and Population. After the negotiation, Minister Paudel pledged to implement the agreements on behalf of the Ministry.     

In course of the talks, the Ministry agreed to write to the Medical Education Commission and other agencies to make necessary arrangements to ensure perks and benefits, leave and healthy workplace for the doctors studying in internship and residency as per the prevailing rules of the government.     

The 17th meeting of the Medical Education Commission has already decided to increase the number of post-graduate seats. Similarly, the Ministry has pledged to take initiative with the stakeholders for the implementation of the commission's decision to provide living allowance to the resident doctors at par with the eighth level of the Government of Nepal. The Ministry has asked the Council of Ministers for organization and management survey.     

The Ministry has pledged to take the matter of increasing the posts of doctors and health workers to the Cabinet meeting after completing the survey as prior approval has been obtained from the decision of the Council of Ministers for organization and management survey.     

Similarly, a three-member taskforce led by Ministry spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki comprising a under-sectary from administration category and a representative of NMA has decided to prepare and submit the working procedure within a week. Minister Paudel had designated a team to hold talks to meet the demands of doctors who went on agitation stating their demands were not addressed. The agreement was reached today after two rounds of talks.(RSS)