KATHMANDU: Veteran orthopedic surgeon and activist Dr. Govinda KC has issued an ultimatum to the government, warning that he will launch an indefinite hunger strike from July 23 if his five-point demand is not met.

Issuing a press statement on Wednesday, Dr. KC demanded the immediate annulment of recent appointments made to the Medical Education Commission (MEC) and the Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences, along with swift amendments to controversial provisions in the National Medical Education Act.

The government appointed Devendra Khatri, a retired Major General of the Nepali Army, as the Vice-Chair of the MEC on July 7.

Dr. KC has vehemently opposed the decision and demanded its immediate revocation.

“Prioritizing an individual with conflict of interest and a predetermined agenda even before calling for applications for a post as crucial as the Vice-Chair of the Medical Education Commission violates established norms and principles,” Dr. KC stated. “Bypassing rules and transparent selection criteria to hand over leadership under preconditions of hiking fee-paying seats and slashing scholarships poses a grave threat to the Commission’s credibility, impartiality, and citizens’ fundamental right to health.”

Dr. KC called for the immediate cancellation of proposals to cut scholarship quotas and increase seats in private medical colleges lacking proper standards and infrastructure.

He also urged the government to implement legal provisions under the National Medical Education Act (2018) to render medical education completely non-profit by 2028, alongside honoring all written agreements signed with previous governments.

“Medical education and healthcare services are purely non-profit public service sectors. Even in developed capitalist countries like the US, these sectors operate under state ownership or non-profit trusts to prevent commercial interests from degrading service quality,” the statement noted, criticizing the government’s lack of groundwork in enforcing non-profit transitions.

Furthermore, Dr. KC demanded the expansion of essential health, education, transport, and employment infrastructure in border regions like Far-Western Nepal to eliminate residents’ dependence on neighboring countries.

Rounding off his demands, Dr. KC insisted on strict prosecution against perpetrators of heinous crimes, arson, and looting linked to the incidents of September 8 and 9, 2025, alongside impartial investigations into high-level political and bureaucratic corruption dating back to 1990.