KATHMANDU, June 1: The government has not taken any action against 43 officials involved in irregularities while issuing affiliation to the controversial Kathmandu National Medical College. 

The Medical Education Probe Commission (MEPC) had recommended to the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on February 4 to suspend or take action against 43 individuals including officials of Tribhuvan University (TU), Kathmandu University (KU) and Nepal Medical Council (NMC), and experts for their involvement in irregularities while issuing affiliation to medical colleges. 

The MEPC, which was formed in April 2017 to investigate into irregularities in medical education sector, submitted its report on Feb 4 to the then prime minister Deuba, recommending various actions against 43 officials including TU Vice Chancellor Prof Tirtha Raj Khaniya, TU Rector Prof Sudha Tripathi and TU Registrar Dilli Ram Uprety. Prof Khaniya, Prof Tripathi and Uprety, who were appointed from the quota of Nepali Congress, the then CPN (Maoist Center) and the then CPN-UML respectively, were recommended for action after the probe panel found them involved in medical education irregularities including in issuing affiliations to medical colleges.

However, Sunil Khadka, press advisor to Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel, said that the government has not taken any decision on the probe commission’s recommendation yet. “We are unaware of the official discussion taken on the matter,” he added. “We assumed the office on March 16. Any file regarding the issue has not been forwarded to us yet.”

According to the report, those officials recommended for immediate sack and ineligible for any future appointments are VC Khaniya, Rector Tripathi, Registrar Uprety and advocate Narayan Khanal, legal advisor to TU. 

The officials not to be appointed in any government and semi-government bodies in future are Lok Man Singh Karki, former chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, former TU VC Hira Bahadur Maharjan, and Dr Nil Mani Upadhyaya, former registrar of NMC.

Similarly, those officials ineligible to be appointed in government and semi government bodies, according to the report, are Dr Prakash Raj Neupane, former chief of Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Dr Chin Bahadur (CB) Pun, former director at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital of Bharatpur, Dr BP Das, former vice chancellor of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan.

Likewise, the officials restricted to be appointed in government and semi-government bodies for five years are Dr Damodar Prasad Gajurel, former chairperson of NMC; Prof Bharat Jha; Prof Dr Govinda Prasad Sharma; Prof Dr Trilokpati Thapa; Prof Dr KB Raut; Dr Manohar Prasad Gupta; Chandra Lal Shrestha; Hirendra Man Amatya; Dr CD Chawala of KU; Prof Shyam Sundar Malla of KU; Prof Dr Panna Thapa of KU; Prof Dr Ramesh Prasad Singh; Dr Jagadish Chautat of KU; Pradyumna Shrestha of KU; Dr Ramesh Kumar Adhikari; Dr Rohit Shrestha; and Dr Ojaswi Nepal.

Those experts restricted for appointment in government and semi-government bodies for three years are Prof Dr Kabir Nath Yogi; Prof Dr Jyoti Sharma; former IOM dean Prof Dr Keshav Prasad Singh; Prof Dr Pramod Kumar Shrestha; Prof Dr Parashu Ram Mishra; and Prof Dr Ram Prasad Uprety.

Those restricted for appointment at government and semi-government bodies for two years are Pralhad Pant of TU; Dr Anil Jha; former NMC vice-chairman Dr Sashi Sharma; and Dr Saroj Shrestha.

Those recommended for sack from dean is Tara Prasad Sapkota, dean of Faculty of Law, TU; and recommended for sack from TU executive council are Ram Prasad Khatiwada, dean of Faculty of Science; Rajendra Paudel, member of TU executive Council; and Hari Parajuli.

Those who have been recommended for a warning are KU VC Dr Ramkantha Makaju and NMC member Dr Ankur Sah. 

The MEPC, coordinated by Gauri Bahadur Karki, former chairman of Special Court, includes its members Dr Upendra Devkota and member-secretary Surya Prasad Gautam, joint-secretary of the Ministry of Education. 

After receiving the report from the MEPC, then PM Deuba handed over the report to former deputy prime minister and education minister Gopal Man Shrestha and urged him to take further action as the Ministry of Education, Science and  Technology (MoEST) is implementing agency of the report.

 
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