TUTH docs agree to end strike, finally

The agitating doctors and students of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, have finally agreed to resume services from Thursday.

The talks between the agitators and the hospital management held Wednesday arrived at an agreement to resume services after 18 days of stand-off. The two sides also agreed to form an investigation committee to look into alleged irregularities in entrance examinations. The agitators have withdrawn their demands for resignation of the dean of the Institute of Medicine.
The investigation committee is led by a former education secretary, which has been mandated to submit the investigation report within the next two weeks.
The Kathmandu District Administration on Tuesday had instructed to resume services at the hospital at the earliest possible.
Earlier today, attendants of the patients who had come for treatment at the hospital, in support of the locals, attacked some doctors this morning. Following the attacks, security at the hospital has heightened.
There were brief clashes between the locals and the police. The hospital remains tense Wednesday afternoon following the clashes.
The locals had locked up the doctors inside the hospital for a few hours on Sunday demanding resumption of services and threatened to evict them from their quarters and hostel if they did not resume the services.
In the morning, the agitating doctors took out a silent rally in the hospital premises and vowed not to let the hospital open until their demands are met. They also threatened to resign en masse' if the authorities tried to open the hospital by using force.
On the contrary, senior doctors of the hospital met education minister Sharvendra Nath Sukla Wednesday morning and said they would try to resume the services by Wednesday evening if the government takes some positive steps towards solving the problem.
Students and faculty of the TU's Institute of Medicine (IOM) started the agitation on March 14 accusing of irregularities in the entrance examinations conducted for MS and MD on March 13 and 14. They demanded for the annulment of the entrance exams, resignation of IOM Dean and Assistant Dean and an independent probe on the alleged leakage of question papers before the exams.
TU has already annulled the controversial examination and also formed a probe committee on the incident.
The agitating doctors had now demanded for another probe saying the previous probe committee did not dwell on their demands. Although, talks were held among the agitating doctors, the IOM Dean and the hospital management this morning, it failed to bring any outcome. Preparations are underway for another round of talks.
Meanwhile, Nepal Medical Association (NMA) has condemned the attacks on doctors and urged for action against those involved in violent activities