“The agitating group remained adamant in their demand for resignation of the dean (Dr Arun Sayami) while he for his part refused to resign unless the probe committee found him guilty,” Director of TUTH Dr Keshav Prasad Singh said.[break]
The hospital, which treats around 1,500 patients daily, had stopped taking indoor patients from March 15 because of protests by doctors alleging that the post-graduate entrance examinations conducted on March 13 and 14 were rigged by Dr Sayami and demanding their cancellation. It shut down even the emergency ward from 3 p.m. on Tuesday and just 124 out of a total of 482 beds remain occupied as of Wednesday morning as previously admitted patients are discharged daily after treatment.
No immediate solution likely
Tribhuvan University (TU) formed a six-member probe committee on March 19 under Dean of the Management Faculty Dr Govinda Prasad Acharya, with a deadline of seven days for submitting its report. But the agitating Free Students´ Union (FSU) at the Maharajgunj Campus and the Nepal Resident Doctors´ Association (NRDA) have rejected the legitimacy of the committee, saying it was formed without any discussion with them.
“The agitating students demanded formation of a high-level committee for investigation and we did just that. Now, we have to wait for the committee´s report and can´t form another committee,” Vice-Chancellor of TU Professor Madhav Sharma said.
Regarding the students´ demand for dismissal of the dean, Sharma said the only ways for his removal are his death, his resignation, proof of a criminal charge against him or proof of his mental instability. “We have to wait for the report that will possibly come in the next couple of days and work according to that. Impartiality is very important and we can´t be biased against anyone,” Sharma added.
Sharma also ruled out any possibility of intervention in the issue, as serious as it is. “Everything should be done according to rule and not through pressure. Even if the prime minister were to intervene, it would be against the rule,” Sharma argued and requested the agitating doctors to return to their duty and work as per their Hippocratic Oath.
The agitating students, on the other hand, argue that they are protesting for the good of common people. “If incompetent students become doctors by bribing officials, they would not be able to treat patients and may prescribe the wrong medicines,” President of FSU at Maharajgunj Campus Manoj Kumar Poudel argued. “We agree that it has affected people but we request them to support us for a prompt resolution of the issue,” Poudel appealed.
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