Kathmandu, Sept. 17 -- When the coalition government of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba took office in July, many had hoped it would restore stability after a prolonged political feud. But the alliance has not even been able to complete government formation, nor pass the budget and important legislation on stricter punishment for gender-based violence.

Turmoil in Parliament this week, including physical confrontations between members that had to be controlled by marshals, has also meant the budget has not budged, and this has led to a government shutdown from Wednesday - affecting hospital care during the pandemic.

Continued opposition by the main opposition UML has meant that besides the budget, critical pieces of ordinance, includin...