As many as 16 medical officers working in the emergency ward of Bir Hospital, Kathmandu submitted their resignation to Director Kedar Century on Wednesday stating that the hospital management had failed to meet their demands.

The doctors demanding that the hospital management provide them with PPE kits, masks, gloves and other protective items, as well as COVID-19 risk allowance as promised by the government.

In their resignation letter, the doctors have said that the hospital administration had deprived them of festival allowance merely for being contractual employees and had coerced them into being deployed on duty for continuously 24-hours on days, among other things as reasons for heir resignation.

Bir Hospital has reportedly run out of PPE kits, sanitisers, gloves and masks to be provided to doctors and other healthcare workers.

The doctors alleged that the hospital management had told them to quit if they were not willing to work in existing conditions.

The doctors, however, have not stopped working at the hospital despite submitting the resignation letter as they said they would quit once their resignation is approved.

According to Century, the hospital can’t provide the doctors with PPE kits due to constraint in budget.