Medical Professionals in Nepal Stage Protest Over Court Verdicts
Thousands of patients across Nepal are set to face a disruption in non-emergency medical care as the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) calls for a nationwide boycott of such services. This move comes in response to recent rulings by the Consumer’s Court, which have imposed heavy fines on doctors found guilty of gross negligence leading to severe complications or patient deaths.
This is the second time within two months that the NMA has organized a complete halt to non-emergency medical services. The previous protest in April was aimed at pressuring private medical colleges to offer stipends comparable to those provided by government institutions. On Sunday, the protesting doctors held one-hour sit-ins at hospitals to express their dissatisfaction with the court’s decisions.
As part of their symbolic protest, the association plans to collect photocopies of the Nepal Medical Council licenses from its members on Monday. These documents will be returned to the council’s office bearers on Tuesday, highlighting their stance against the current legal challenges they face.
Dr. Anil Bikram Karki, president of the NMA, emphasized that the situation has become so critical that the association can no longer operate smoothly. He argued that doctors should not be forced to pay millions of rupees in fines for attempting to save lives. According to Karki, the association had previously met with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and requested amendments to certain provisions of the National Penal Code Act-2017 and the Consumer Protection Act-2018. The prime minister reportedly assured them that the issue would be resolved soon.
However, Karki stated that the NMA was compelled to initiate a new protest program due to ongoing verdicts from the Consumer Court against hospitals and doctors. Recent rulings have seen significant penalties imposed on three private hospitals: Rs 5.68 million on Om Hospital, Rs 5.7 million on Grande City Clinic, and Rs 14.5 million on Himal Hospital. These fines were distributed between the hospitals and the involved doctors.
Jyoti Baniya, chairman of the Forum for the Protection of Consumer Rights-Nepal, criticized the NMA’s actions, stating that halting hospital services and denying treatment to patients is a serious violation of their constitutional rights. Under the National Penal (Code) Act 2017, such actions could result in imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of Rs 30,000.
Baniya also pointed out that the details of the court’s verdicts have not been made public yet, yet the NMA has already begun penalizing patients. He noted that courts have long issued verdicts in cases of medical negligence and imposed fines accordingly.
Consumer rights activists have raised concerns about a specific case involving the wife of the NMA General Secretary, who is also a doctor. They allege that the current protest may be an attempt to influence this particular case. Experts and former members of the Nepal Medical Council have expressed strong opposition to the idea of boycotting treatment as a form of protest.
A former office bearer of the Nepal Medical Council, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted that patients and their families have the right to seek legal remedies if they believe they have been harmed by medical negligence. He added that the council’s investigations have revealed instances of sheer negligence by doctors, and appropriate actions have been taken.
Another former council member emphasized that not all doctors are equally competent and that no doctor can guarantee the absence of negligence from their peers. He questioned whether the NMA’s actions are encouraging the public to take the law into their own hands by denying them the right to pursue legal recourse.
