Kathmandu: The Nepal government and agitating medical education reform campaigner Dr Govinda KC inked a six-point agreement on Friday night, ending his 25th hunger strike, Radio Nepal reported.

Source: Radio Nepal

Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel signed the deal with Dr KC and broke his hunger strike at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Friday night. Pokharel said, "It is the last hunger strike of Dr KC. The agreement signed with Dr KC will be implemented."

Source: Radio Nepal

Dr KC had started the hunger strike in Ilam in late October over medical education standards, MBBS seat allocations and university governance, and was later airlifted to Kathmandu as his condition worsened. The Prime Minister's Health Advisor Prof Dr Jagadish Agrawal, lawmaker Pukar Bam and Nepal Medical Association President Dr Badri Rijal also signed the deal.

Under the agreement, permission will be granted to Martyr Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences to run educational programmes, including MBBS, in accordance with the Medical Education Commission's decision of October 16, and its seats will be determined.

Source: Radio Nepal

The two sides also agreed to form a five-member study committee under Prof Dr Ramesh Prasad Acharya to examine whether the decision to increase MBBS seats at the Army Medical College, run by the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, followed the required criteria.

Source: Nepal Wire

The government further agreed to implement the remaining points of the agreement signed with Dr KC on July 27 during his 24th hunger strike, to form a task force to monitor implementation, and to initiate a process to establish and operate a medical college in Bardibas. Reports also said a cabinet ordinance amending the university's Act would be issued within two weeks.

Source: Nepal Wire

Dr KC, an orthopaedic surgeon, has led Nepal's medical education reform campaign since 2012. Whether the new commitments are implemented on time will be watched closely, after the July agreement was left partly unimplemented — the reason the 25th strike began.