MoE writes to NMC to allocate MBBS seats for controversial medical college owned by CPN-UML leader

KATHMANDU, Nov 7:  Dr Govinda KC has issued a weeklong ultimatum to President Bidya Devi Bhandari to approve the Medical Education Act. Dr KC has warned to launch his 14th hunger strike from next Monday if his demand is not met by then.

Organizing a press meet on Monday, Dr KC urged President Bhandari to approve the act within a week. “Otherwise, I will be obliged to launch another fast-unto-death,” he said.

Dr KC staged his 13th fast-unto-death from October 5, demanding the enactment of the Medical Education Act as per the spirit of the reports prepared by the Mathema Taskforce. Dr KC postponed the strike on October 18 after the government assured him to bring the Act through an ordinance. On October 23, the cabinet approved the ordinance of the Medical Education Act as per the recommendation from the Mathema Taskforce and forwarded it to the President's Office for certification.

However, President Bhandari, reportedly under pressure from the CPN-UML leaders, is sitting on the ordinance.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (MoE) as per its decision on November 5 dispatched a letter to Nepal Medical Council (NMC) on November 6, asking it to allocate MBBS seats for Kathmandu National Medical College (KNMC) against the general rule that TU should write to NMC for such matters. “We were informed today that the NMC has received the letter from the MoE,” said Dr Dilip Sharma, registrar at the NMC. “We will discuss and decide it,” he added.

The college owner had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on October 17. In the hearing on the writ petition on October 27, the apex court ordered Tribhuvan University (TU) not to implement its decision to scrap the affiliation of the college.

On July 27, the TU's Executive Council issued affiliation to the college. However, the TU had decided to scrap the affiliation following the agreement reached with Dr KC, who staged his 12th hunger strike to put pressure on the government to bring reforms in the medical sector. The TU meeting held on September 6 decided to scrap the affiliation issued on July 27 to KNMC, which neither has hospital beds nor does it have teaching faculties and doctors.

The controversial medical college belongs to the cadres of the CPN-UML, manager Mohammad Basruddin Ansari and his brother Mohammad Jainuddin Ansari as chairman and shareholder Mostikina Khatun.

Dr KC, who has been staging fast-unto-deaths demanding reforms in the medical sector, said that he will continue fighting against anarchy in the sector.

 
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