KATHMANDU, Nepal – Sankha Bahadur Rokaya, a 40-year-old resident of Sinja Rural Municipality in the Jumla district, found himself in excruciating pain as he arrived at Bir Hospital early Sunday morning. His ureteral stent, inserted to drain urine, had become blocked, but the doctors he desperately needed to see were unavailable. They were among the medical professionals participating in a nationwide strike called by the Nepal Medical Association (NMA), their umbrella organization.
“I am currently in severe pain,” Rokaya said, expressing his distress. “I even tried to meet the doctors at the hospital’s emergency, but they said only the doctor who had inserted the stent should see me. Neither can I eat nor drink.”
Rokaya’s plight was not unique on that Sunday, as thousands of patients seeking care at state-run health facilities across Nepal faced similar difficulties when they discovered that all hospital services, except for emergencies, had been shut down.
The Nepal Medical Association (NMA), representing medical and dental doctors, had initiated the healthcare service halt in protest against a physical attack on two of its members, Dr. Prashanta Bidari and Dr. Bikash Thapa, who served at Hetauda-based Sancho Hospital. The attack occurred a month after the death of a patient, with the perpetrators alleging severe negligence in the treatment. Police arrested the deceased patient’s wife, daughter, son, and nephew in connection with the assault.
This isn’t the first time the NMA has resorted to halting medical services to pressure authorities. In February, the association called a nationwide strike to protest an assault on a doctor by police during a temporary road closure for a presidential convoy.
Rokaya, who had been suffering from ureteral obstruction due to kidney stones, had been visiting the hospital for treatment for the last month and a half but had not yet received a surgery date. He disclosed, “I knew that the doctors had announced a boycott of the services, but I am in constant pain and came here hoping that some doctors would empathize with my suffering.”
Rokaya learned that he needed surgery to address a 39 mm stone in his right kidney and a 37 mm stone in his left kidney. He had already spent Rs150,000 in the last month and a half for treatment and was running low on cash.
Many other patients, like Harka Bahadur Kumal, 77, who came from Siranchowk Rural Municipality of Gorkha for his wife Dil Maya’s treatment, expressed frustration. Dil Maya had been suffering from constant pain throughout her body. Kumal lamented, “There was no service on Saturday, and the doctors did not come today either. We don’t know how long it would take for the services to resume.”
Sher Bahadur Tamang from Tarakeshwar Municipality in Kathmandu, seeking treatment for his ailing daughter-in-law’s vascular problems, criticized the doctors for halting healthcare services, asserting that it was a great injustice to patients. He questioned, “How can one justify the move by depriving thousands of ailing patients of their rights to healthcare services?”
While some doctors disagreed with the nationwide disruption of hospital services, such as Dr. Bhagawan Koirala, chairman of the Nepal Medical Council, who said, “I don’t agree with the decision to deprive thousands of patients of healthcare services from one incident,” they also emphasized that the security of doctors should not be compromised.
NMA President Dr. Anil Bikram Karki argued that the nationwide shutdown of hospital services was not a choice but a compulsion of doctors to make the government address their concerns. He pointed out, “First of all, police have not arrested all those involved in the incident. Secondly, despite a law in place, violence against doctors has not stopped, and the authorities concerned do not appear serious about enforcing the law.”
The association highlighted that workplace violence against doctors would continue unless the patient-doctor ratio was adequately addressed. They also called for the establishment of a hospital security force to promptly resolve disputes between patients’ relatives and doctors.
Concerns about patients waiting for surgery for several years at state-run hospitals were also raised. Thousands of patients, particularly those unable to afford expensive treatment at private healthcare facilities, rely on state-run hospitals where services are provided at comparatively cheaper rates.
On a positive note, the NMA called off its protest on Sunday evening after reaching a six-point agreement with the Health Ministry. Under the agreement, the government promised to take action against those involved in the recent assaults on doctors in Hetauda, as per the Security of Health Workers and Health Organisation Act-2066. Additionally, the government committed to effectively implementing the Act to prevent similar attacks in the future. They also agreed to draft a new medical service bill aimed at enhancing the safety, security, and training of doctors.
