A demonstration was staged at Narayani Sub-regional Hospital of Birgunj today in protest of the recent hike in medical fees at the hospital. Responding to the call of Narayani Sub-regional Hospital Development Support Campaign, the protest lasted for about one hour from 11:00am. Citing the hike and its effect on the poor families who reach out to the hospital for treatment, local youths of Birgunj staged the protest at the hospital. Campaign coordinator Om Prakash Sarraf described the protest as also against corruption and irregularities at the hospital. “The hospital is the only place where the poor people of the district come for treatment but now with the decision of the hospital to hike its fees, I am worried about its effect on poor communities,” he said. “At a time when the government is raving about improving people’s access to health services in all corners of the country, the hike in fees in a government hospital doesn’t make sense,” Sarraf added further, describing the protest a compulsion after the stakeholders didn’t heed their calls to withdraw the decision to hike the fees. Medical Superintendent at the hospital Dr Enamul Haq, however, defended the decision to hike the fees, saying it was necessary to boost the health facility’s income.