The Nepal Medical Council (NMC) directed such colleges to reduce enrollment, and denied the request of others to increase enrollment for the same reason.[break]
Meanwhile, MB Kedia Dental College in Birgunj that was restricted from admitting new students in 2008 due to lack of proper infrastructure has still not been allowed to take admission for the same reason.
“A full house decision of the council has restricted the college from admitting any new students,” a highly placed NMC source told Republica.
Among colleges that faced seat reduction this year are Nepal Medical College, Jorpati, and Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara.
Nepal Medical College lost 10 seats, the NMC source said, preferring to remain unnamed. The college was allowed to admit 100 students previously before the cut.
Likewise, Manipal College of Medical Sciences lost 20 seats. The college was allowed to admit 150 students previously. Now the college can admit only 130 students.
The NMC has continued to bar Kedia Dental College from admitting new students, as the college is yet to comply by the council´s order to develop proper infrastructure. The college had 40 admission seats before facing action.
Medical colleges operating in the country are required to fulfill basic requirements like infrastructure, hospital, professors, equipment, hostels, library and lecture hall. Even the flow of patients in the hospital is monitored to ensure that there are sufficient patients for the students to learn from.
Other factors like availability of recent journals and books, and the size of the lecture hall are also considered.
Meanwhile, some colleges were denied permission this year to increase seats as per their demand owing to the same infrastructural constraints.
Chitwan Medical College had sought permission to enroll 150 students, but NMC permitted it to enroll only 130 students. In 2009, the college had taken 80 students.
Meanwhile, Kathmandu University School of Medical Science had sought permission for 150 seats but the council only gave permission for 110.
Colleges like Nobel Medical College, Biratnagar, and Kist Medical College, Kathmandu, were fortunate in that they were permitted to increase as many seats as they demanded.
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