The Nepal Medical Association has announced to shut down all the medical services except emergency care on Sunday as part of its phase-wise protests over the provisions of the newly enforced Criminal Code aimed at curbing medical negligence and recklessness by doctors. The association will stage demonstrations at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu and in the District Administration Offices across the country. In a statement on Friday, the association announced a series of protests citing the government’s reluctance to amend the Criminal Code or to add the “jail without bail” provision for the accused. According to NMA President Dr Mukti Ram Shrestha, the new code has instilled fear among doctors who work under pressure. “The government has missed its second deadline [August 31] too, giving us no option but to go ahead with our protests nationwide,” Shrestha told the Post. The medical fraternity has strong reservations over the new Criminal Code, which came into effect on August 17. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs had pledged to amend the provisions. Section 232 of the code spells out three-year jail and Rs30,000 fine or five-year jail and Rs50,000 fine if a doctor is found guilty of negligence or recklessness while treating a patient, including faulty prescriptions that cause patient’s death. “If a doctor is found guilty, there should be no compromise on action but the government’s investigation mechanism is not clear. How will the government decide if the accused is guilty or not?” wondered Dr Madan Prasad Upadhyay, a former dean at the Institute of Medicine. Legal experts have expressed concerns over Section 232 of the code. Four days after the new codes came into effect, Advocate Yagyamani Neupane filed a writ petition for annulling eight provisions of the new Civil and Criminal Codes. “With the new provisions, medical services will be regularly disrupted as patient’s family members will file cases, mostly when a patient dies,” Advocate Baburam Aryal told the Post. “Also, under the new Criminal Code, doctors will be arrested [before investigation] and put behind the bars, giving them narrow space to prove their innocence.” As part of its phase-wise protests, the NMA will halt administrative works at all the health institutions on September 3 and will stop admitting patients except for emergency from September 4. On September 5, the NMA will only allow emergency surgeries, followed by a shutdown of all laboratory and radiology services except for emergency cases on September 6. From September 7, all medical services including OPD, barring Emergency, would be shut down until the doctors’ demands are met. मुलुकी अपराध संहिता ऐन २०७४ संशोधनको माग गर्दै चिकित्सकहरु आजबाट आन्दोलनमा उत्रिएका छन् । नेपाल चिकित्सक संघ आवद्ध चिकित्सकहरुले आज देशभरका अस्पतालहरुमा आकस्मिक बाहेकका सबै सेवा ठप्प पारेका छन् । चिकित्सकहरुले आजै नेपाल मेडिकल काउन्सिल पुगेर चिकित्सक दर्ता प्रमाणपत्र (लाइसेन्स) बुझाउने तयारी समेत गरेका छन् । नेपाल चिकित्सक संघले आफ्ना सदस्यहरुबाट संकलन गरेको करीब ४ हजार बढी लाइसेन्स विहान १० बजे काउन्सिलमा बुझाउन लागेको संघका अध्यक्ष डा मुक्तिराम श्रेष्ठले बताउनुभयो । संघका अध्यक्ष डा श्रेष्ठले मुलुकी ऐनको कतिपय बुँदामा भएका प्रावधानका कारण चिकित्सकीय सेवा गर्न असमर्थ हुने भन्दै लाइसेन्स बुझाउन लागिएको बताउनुभयो । गत भदौ एक गतेदेखि कार्यान्वयनमा आएको मुलुकी अपराध संहितामा उपचारका क्रममा डाक्टरको लापरवाहीले बिरामीको मृत्यु भएमा वा अंगभंग भएमा पाँच वर्षसम्म कैद र ५० हजार रूपैयाँसम्म जरिवानाको व्यवस्था गरिएपछि त्यसको संशोधनको माग चिकित्सकहरुले राख्दै आएका छन् । संघले आजै माइतीघर मण्डलामा विरोध प्रदर्शन गर्ने जनाएको छ । माग पुरा नभए आगामी शुक्रबारबाट अनिश्चितकालिन हड्तालमा उत्रिने संघले जनाएको छ । यसैबीच सरकारी चिकित्सक संघ गोदानले समेत नेपाल चिकित्सक संघका कार्यक्रममा ऐक्यवद्धता जनाएको छ ।