In a move enhancing healthcare facilities across the region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Surgical Care Society (SCC) announced plans to construct three hospitals, one each in India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Under this plan, announced at a conference held in Ludhiana yesterday, the three hospitals will provide free surgeries with the support of SAARC SCC.

According to the President of SAARC SCC and Principal of Lahore Medical and Dental College Dr A Majeed Chaudhary and Laparoscopic Surgeon Dr Arbar Ashraf Ali, the plans in this regard are currently under process.

“The treatment for liver transplant and pediatric cardiac medical facilities and infrastructure are not up to the mark. Many children with holes in heart travel to India. As far as other ailments are concerned, Pakistan and India are at the same level,” said Dr Chaudhary.

Under SAARC, this will be beneficial as each country is best in some field or the other, he added.

The organizers expressed hope that the project would strengthen ties among all the nations.

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The government has formed a three-member committee to hold talks with Govinda on his demand for immediate endorsement of the Health Profession Education policy.

The three-member team led by the Education Secretary Shanta Bahadur Shrestha includes Health Secretary Kiran Regmi and PMO Secretary Gopi Mainali as its members.

Demanding an end to prevalent issues in the country’s medical sector, Govinda has been on fast-unto-death at TUTH, Maharajgunj in Kathmandu. This is the 11^th such hunger strike by Govinda, over the years, in his fight for reforms and ending anomalies in the Nepali medical sector.

With Govinda’s health deteriorating, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) appealed to the government to save Govinda’s life.

Govinda’s primary demand is for mandatory enrolment of meritorious students in private medical colleges that are enrolling candidates with low marks by collecting high fees.

Immediate endorsement of the Health Profession Education Bill (HPEC), granting authority to the Institute of Medicine to enroll students, set fees and grant affiliation, de-affiliation of medical colleges that defy directives of government and court are among Govinda’s key demands.

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Professionally, Govinda is a renowned orthopedic surgeon and a professor. Whereas in personal life, he is a philanthropist and a social activist.

Govinda is well-known globally for his firm stand towards reforms in the Nepali medical sector and favoring the government medical institutions, notably the state-owned Institute of Medicine (IoM) and Patan Academy of Health Sciences.

A Series of Hunger Strikes and Key Addressed Demands

Voicing against transparency and political meddling in unrelated matters among others, Govinda has staged 10 hunger strikes in five years between 2012 and 2016, with eight of them being fasts-unto-death. He recently staged the eleventh one.

All his protests were against rampant commercialization of medical sector and providing quality healthcare to Nepalese.

Some of the prominent demands raised and addressed by Govinda’s hunger strikes include end of political interference, appointment of Dean in IoM, suspension of various officials of Tribhuvan University, suspension of the parliamentary committee directive on granting affiliation to new colleges, implementation of the Medical Education Association’s recommendations, protest against Kathmandu University officials for their violation of cabinet decisions, establishment of medical colleges in rural areas, education at free-of-cost/ nominal fee in medical, nursing & paramedical colleges and impeachment of CIAA Chief Lokman Singh Karki.

Govinda’s activities received a mass following from all sections of the society, especially the youth.

The most notable achievement is the recent agreement between Govinda and the Government of Nepal, which is a result of his eight fast-unto-death. Accepting Govinda’s demand, the government agreed to open at least one medical college in each of the (future) federal provinces. The agreement also has a 10-year moratorium on the construction of new medical colleges inside the Kathmandu Valley.

In 2015, the Government of Nepal has entered into a 11-point agreement with Govinda, which underlines:

• Formation of the Health Professional Education Commission to oversee and regulate medical education
• The fee ceiling for MBBS & MD/MS education to be set at Rs 3.5 million & 2.3 million, respectively, which will be revived in every three years
• Formation of a new authority to probe issues in Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University

As a Humanitarian

Govinda did his part as a responsible being with his humanitarian activities, by offering services to public in times of natural calamities, across Nepal and globally. During the process, he never sought financial assistance from any government or NGO and financed his own way. He preferred to spend his salary for the services across remote areas of Nepal.

Govinda spends two weeks of vacation, provided to him by TUTH annually, in travelling to remotest villages of Nepal to serve and conduct health awareness camps. Some of his well-known international visits include a three-week stay in Bhuj region of Gujarat, India post-earthquake, a 20-day stay in Northwest Pakistan to serve quake victims, and a two-week stay in Myanmar to help cyclone victims, among many others.

Early Life

Govinda KC was born on March 25, 1957 in Ramechhap, Janakpur Zone of Nepal. He studied at IoM to become a Health Assistant at the institute. With the support of the Ministry of Education’s scholarship, he went on to pursue MBBS course at Rajshahi Medical College, Bangladesh, after which, he returned to Nepal and served in Bir Hospital. He then moved to Dhaka University to pursue M.S and finally became an orthopedic surgeon.

Govinda’s life took a turn at IoM after he joined the institute as a volunteer in 1994, leaving Bir Hospital. He eventually grew to become a professor specialized in child orthopedics, and the institute became a big platform for his future course of action.

Dedicated to Social Service

Govinda KC (60) is still a bachelor and lives within the hospital quarters. He has dedicated his life to students, patients and social activities. There is a growing consensus in Nepal over the nomination of Govinda for the Nobel Peace Prize Award.

Through his activities, Govinda transformed the lives of millions of Nepalese and became a ray of hope for those in need and proper support.

Transparency International Nepal honored Dr. Govinda KC with the National Integrity Award, at an event held in Kathmandu on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day.

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