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Kathmandu, October 19: Nurses working at Manipal Teaching Hospital, Gandaki Medical College (GMC), in Kaski and several other hospitals across the country have been protesting for the past week. Nurses at Manipal Teaching Hospital began their protest on October 10 (Asoj 24), demanding an increase in their salaries, while those at GMC joined the movement on October 13 (Asoj 27).

Earlier, on December 12, 2024 (Mangsir 27, 2081 BS), the Government of Nepal had decided to improve the salaries and facilities of nurses and health workers working in health institutions, setting the minimum monthly salary for nurses at Rs. 34,730.

However, nurses at Manipal and GMC have complained that they are being paid only Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 per month. They have demanded that their salaries be increased according to the government’s standard and that adequate facilities be provided.

Manipal Teaching Hospital, through a press statement, said it is ready to raise salaries and can afford to pay between Rs. 24,000 and Rs. 29,000. However, both Manipal and GMC have stated that they cannot meet the full salary demand set by the government. The nurses, on the other hand, are firm that they must receive the full minimum pay as determined by the government.

Earlier, Manipal nurses had launched a protest but had suspended it on October 5 (Asoj 19) following negotiations. However, after the hospital failed to address their demands and make necessary improvements, they decided to resume the protest, warning that they will intensify their agitation if their demands are not met.

The nurses’ grievances are mainly related to low pay, excessive workload, and extended working hours, which have reportedly increased from seven to eight hours a day. They also say that their leave benefits have been reduced. According to the protesting nurses, they are overburdened and deserve fair remuneration for their work. Chanting slogans such as “We are nurses, not machines,” they have continued their protest within hospital premises. Their main demands include salary increment and improvement in service facilities, which have put pressure on both the government and hospital administrations to take serious action.

In response to the ongoing protests of nurses working in hospitals nationwide, the Ministry of Health and Population held a meeting on Friday with representatives of the protesting nurses, the Nepal Nursing Association, the Association of Private Medical and Dental Colleges, Gen-Z representatives, and the Medical Education Commission. The meeting decided to hold an all-party discussion on Sunday to further address the issue.

Nepal Nursing Association President Prof. Chandrakala Sharma said that discussions were held regarding the problems in the nursing sector, the demands of the protesting nurses, and issues related to their service benefits. She mentioned that the Health Ministry had provided information regarding the ministerial-level decision made on December 12, 2024, and warned that the nurses would now launch a decisive movement if their demands are not met. She confirmed that the next all-party meeting will be held on October 18 (Kartik 2).

Health Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota stated that Friday’s meeting had moved in a positive direction and that the government is taking the issue of the protesting nurses seriously.

Demanding equal facilities as government-employed health workers, nurses from Manipal Medical College, Gandaki Medical College, and Dhangadhi have joined the protest movement.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki, just a day before the meeting, had instructed Health Secretary Dr. Devkota to hold immediate discussions and find a resolution to the nurses’ protest and their demands. Following her instruction, the first round of talks was held on Friday evening.

The all-party meeting was attended by Prof. Chandrakala Sharma (President, Nepal Nursing Association), Shantaraj Batas (operator of Manipal Medical College and treasurer of the Private Medical and Dental College Association), Sudan Gurung (Gen-Z leader), Durga Prasai (medical entrepreneur), and independent nurse representatives Jyoti Ranabhat and Sagar Khatri, among others.

During the meeting, Gen-Z leader Sudan Gurung raised the issues faced by nurses and urged the Nursing Association representatives to take proactive steps to resolve them. Medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai said that the nurses working under his institutions had no complaints regarding facilities. Manipal’s operator Shantaraj Batas explained that newly hired staff nurses start as trainees with a starting salary of Rs. 17,000, which is gradually increased later, adding that the institution has no intention of labor exploitation.

People’s News Monitoring Service.