KATHMANDU, July 8 : Emergency wards remain functional while OPD services across Nepal have come to a standstill, as the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) stepped up its protest over key provisions in the Consumer Protection Act 2074 BS.
Nepal’s public health service has been facing growing pressure since the beginning of this week as the NMA continues its nationwide strike, halting all non-emergency services. While emergency rooms remain open, the silence of previously crowded Outpatient Departments (OPDs) is stark, raising concerns among patients and their families, particularly those in need of routine but essential medical care.
The ongoing protest stems from the medical fraternity’s dissatisfaction with the inclusion of health services under the consumer protection act, a move they say equates healthcare with commercial services like telecom and transport. They have demanded that healthcare must be handled by the Nepal Medical Council not the Consumer Court.
“We didn’t want to do this strike. We were forced to,” said Dr. Sanjeeb Tiwari, General Secretary of the NMA. “We believe the medical profession should be governed by the Nepal Medical Council Act, not considered the same as sectors like telecom or transportation. We need these amendments.”
Citing the National Criminal Code 2074 BS, particularly sections 231 to 233 that already outline medical accountability under law, Dr Tiwari emphasized the need for a clear legal distinction. “If a medical professional does anything wrong, if their intention was wrong, or in a case of negligence, the issues need to be addressed under NMC, not these courts,” he added, asserting that existing mechanisms for legal redress under the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) are more appropriate.
A Landmark Step for Consumer Rights Protection
Beyond legal concerns, doctors highlight a deeper, systemic issue—severe understaffing in Nepal’s public health sector. According to Dr Tiwari, "Since 2048 BS, there has been no significant vacancy announcement in the health sector. While the population has tripled from 10 million to over 30 million, the number of sanctioned government doctor posts has decreased to 1,100."
Dr Tiwari emphasized that to meet even the basic constitutional promises of healthcare, the government must open at least 1,000 new vacancies immediately. Without adequate staffing, he questioned how quality care could be delivered with so few hands. “It’s about safeguarding quality healthcare, as guaranteed by our constitution,” he noted.
Prominent medical professional, Dr Arjun Karki, former vice-chancellor of the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, expressed empathy but uncertainty. “I do not know if this was the only way,” he said. “I assume there were dialogues with authorities that did not result in an amicable solution. Hence, this protest may be their alternative to express dissatisfaction.”
To the patients impacted by the halted services, Dr Karki reassured: “No one with an acute medical need is being denied care. Emergency services are open. But yes, for non-acute patients, this is inconvenient. If their condition worsens, they must visit the emergency department immediately. Nobody should suffer or die prematurely in the absence of care. Anyone in need of urgent medical care, urgent medical advice can still visit the emergency room and get whatever treatment is necessary. ”
At the National Trauma Centre, a young mother exiting with her three-year-old expressed relief. “I am thankful that my child was treated, but I hope this issue is resolved soon—for doctors and the people.”
For Jyoti Waglee, 60, the situation was tense yet tolerable. Seated anxiously with her husband Rajeev Wagle (67), a dialysis patient, she remarked, “Thankfully, dialysis service continues. But even children with common cold must now wait unless it's severe.”
Across hospitals in Kathmandu, medical students in emergency wards said that— as per their knowledge, paramedical services remain active, though many were unaware of the full extent of the protests. “We’re just keeping the emergency running,” one student remarked.
As negotiations remain stalled and solutions still awaited, the medical community calls on the government to address their demands through legal clarity, structural reform, and staffing support. The public, meanwhile, watches with concern and mixed emotions—balancing sympathy for doctors’ demands with the real-world impacts on their health and access.
This strike has once again underlined the fragile balance between professional accountability and the right to protest, between constitutional rights to quality healthcare and the limitations of an overstretched system.
Until that balance is restored, the silence in the OPD corridors speaks volumes.
