Kathmandu, April 25 -- Tens of thousands of ailing people from across the country will be deprived of treatment on Friday, as the Nepal Medical Association has called a nationwide boycott of all services except emergency and intensive care.

The move by the association, an umbrella organisation of medical doctors, comes in solidarity with resident doctors pursuing MD/MS degrees in private colleges, who have been demanding stipends on par with those of government-owned colleges.

Agitating doctors and postgraduate students also staged a protest at Maitighar Mandal in Kathmandu on Thursday and cordoned off the district administration offices. The NMA representatives and the protesting doctors also held a meeting with Health Minister Pradip ...