KATHMANDU, July 15: The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) administration on Thursday said that it has been awaiting approval from the District Administration Office (DAO) for forming a medical team to provide care to Dr Govinda KC, who is on a fast-unto-death on the hospital premises for the past five days.
Officials at the TUTH said they have written a formal letter to the chief district Officer (CDO) for his consent to form a medical team.
"We have written a formal letter to the chief district officer for his consent to form a medical team," Dr Deepak Mahara, Director at the TUTH, said. He claimed that the letter to the CDO was written as per the decision of a meeting of all the department heads at the TUTH.
DAO, Kathmandu, however, has not yet responded to the TUTH letter. Director Mahara claimed that a letter was written to the CDO seeking the permission as the DAO had earlier written to the TUTH administration to prevent Dr KC from staging his hunger strike at the hospital.
"We have not formed a medical team, but this does not mean that there is no one to attend to him," said Director Mahara. He said Dr Subash Acharya, an expert on intensive care and several resildent doctors have been attending to Dr KC. He claimed that the hospital has provided all necessary equipment and medicines to Dr KC.
Meanwhile, students pursuing medical students under the Institute of Medicine (IoM) on Thursday shunned all academic activities to pressure the authorities into fulfilling the demands put forth by Dr KC.
Demanding reforms in the medical education and health sector and impeachment of Lokman Singh Karki, the chief commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), for his alleged interference in the Kathmandu University's MBBS entrance exam, Dr KC has started a fast-unto-death since Sunday.