Government, Social Activist Ranabhat Ink 19-point Deal

Activist Jyoti Ranabhat, who was on a hunger strike pressing for fulfillment of various demands, has broken her fast. 

She terminated the hunger strike this morning after the government negotiation team and she reached an agreement on 19 different points.

Ranabhat, who is also a nurse, had been on a hunger strike since July 30. Krishna Shrestha, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Food Safety, Senior Medical Superintendent Dr. Hemanta Chandra Ojha, and Legal Officer Jaya Prakash Subedi have signed on the agreement.

Under the points of agreement, the Ministry of Health and Food Safety is to form a task force within seven days to determine the pay, decent service, conditions, and facilities for healthcare workers, including nurses and midwives working in government, institutional, private, community hospitals, medical colleges, and teaching institutes, with the work expected to be completed within at least six months.

An understanding has been reached where the Ministry of Health and Food Safety has to amend the Guidelines, 2072 for the mobilization of doctors and health workers who have received scholarship from the government within 30 days as well as the Ministry of Education and Sports has to make necessary arrangement to ensure scholarship to midwives for the study of PCL Nursing and Midwifery in accordance with Health and Midwifery Strategy 2077/78-2087-88. 

Similarly, the deal also mentioned that the Ministry of Health and Food Safety through the Ministry of Education and Sports would request the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training within two days to determine the date for entrance examination from coming academic session for the purpose of admission to the PCL Nursing and Midwifery Programme. 

Likewise, nursing processes, nursing care plan, nursing documentation and nursing evaluation, medicine management, infection control, patient safety, adverse incident management, routine nursing and midwifery practices would be mandatorily implemented in all hospitals. 

The Health Ministry would send a circular to all health institutions within a week to make arrangement of audit of RMC and strictly implement it as per the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act, 2075 as well as the Nepal Nursing Council would monitor it. (RSS)