KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Dr Tosima Karki has urged the government to create an environment for the immediate end of Professor Dr Govinda KC’s indefinite hunger strike by addressing his legitimate demands without further delay.

In a statement shared on social media, Dr Karki said the situation should never have reached the point where Dr KC was forced to launch another indefinite fast. She called on the government to facilitate direct discussions between Dr KC, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Education, and the Minister for Health, stressing that cooperation is essential to advance long-awaited reforms in medical education.

She also urged the government to implement agreements reached with Dr KC by previous administrations, adding that she has already drawn the attention of both the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Ministry of Education to the issue.

|“The old pattern of responding to demands only after a protest intensifies, the media takes notice, public pressure mounts, and a person’s health deteriorates must not be repeated,” she said.
Dr Karki also dismissed claims that Dr KC opposes the establishment of Shaheed Dasharath Chand University in Geta, calling such assertions misleading. According to her, Dr KC’s primary demands are the immediate operation of the 300-bed Geta Hospital and the early commencement of MBBS programs at the institution.

She noted that the development of major health infrastructure in Geta was made possible largely because of Dr KC’s past non-violent campaigns, which advocated for quality healthcare services and expanded medical education in Sudurpashchim Province. Misrepresenting that contribution, she said, is both unfair and misleading.

Recalling her previous tenure in Parliament, Dr Karki said she had repeatedly raised the issue of bringing the 300-bed hospital into operation and expediting related legislation through parliamentary committees and the House.

She described the current development of the Geta facility into the country’s only university dedicated exclusively to medical education-Shaheed Dasharath Chand University-as a significant achievement that should be protected.

Reaffirming her support for Dr KC’s long-running campaign to reform Nepal’s medical education and healthcare sectors, Dr Karki said she would continue to stand alongside him.
“I have always stood with Prof Dr Govinda KC in the campaign for medical education and healthcare reforms centered on the interests of the Nepali people, I stand with him today, and I will continue to do so,” she said.