Prime Minister Sushila Karki has directed the Health Secretary to take immediate action to resolve the ongoing nurses’ protest.
Holding the additional portfolio of the Minister for Health, Prime Minister Karki stated that it is unfair to retain skilled human resources at minimal pay, warning that failure to address their concerns could lead to a large-scale migration of healthcare professionals abroad.
On Wednesday, PM Karki summoned Health Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota to her office at Singha Durbar to receive a detailed briefing on the nurses’ agitation. She instructed him to take prompt measures to address the issue and to report progress regularly.
The nurses’ main demand is the implementation of the Ministry of Health’s decision from last Mangsir, which set the fifth-level pay scale equivalent to NPR 34,730 per month. Nurses at Manipal Teaching Hospital and Gandaki Medical College in Pokhara have been protesting for several weeks in pursuit of this demand.
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