All major services at the hospital were stopped as the hospital´s administrative section has been padlocked by the Maoist-affiliated health workers for two months and the doctors left for the capital on Thursday to seek solution through political dialogue. [break]
The hospital´s executive director Dr Laxmi Narayan Singh, whose new appointment is at the heart of controversy as the Maoist-affiliated workers have been opposing it, said that Dahal´s statement has raised hopes of a solution.
The team of doctors that arrived in the capital for political dialogue has called off its plan to meet Prime Minister Jhalnath Khanal after learning about Dahal´s Chitwan visit. “We had already started dialogue with higher political leadership but decided to cut it short after we knew about Dahal´s visit,” Singh said.
The Health Ministry, meanwhile, has formed a three-member panel led by Dr Senedra Uprety to probe Dr Singh´s appointment.
Dr Singh´s appointment was opposed by the outgoing executive director Dr Bhaktaman Shrestha whose term expired last October. He wanted to continue on the post on Maoist backing.
The doctors´ panel had already met Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who also looks after the Health Ministry, on Friday.
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