Dr. KC urges parliamentarians to think twice before endorsing Medical Education Bill

Published On: January 24, 2019 03:52 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Jan 24: In his letter to parliamentarians, Dr. Govinda KC, who is on the 16th day of his 16th fast-unto-death, has urged the elected representatives to be answerable toward their voters before endorsing the revised Medical Education Bill.

The government is set to table the revised medical education bill for approval at the parliament tomorrow.

The revised bill has removed words -- 'people-centric' and 'student-oriented' health. Dr. KC said that doing so is likely to bar Nepalis from their fundamental right to affordable and quality health services. "I request you to remember the promises you made to the citizens before getting elected," Dr. KC said in the letter.

Dr. KC also dispelled any affiliations to any political party in his fight to reform medical education for the past seven years. He said that his only concern was affordable and quality medical education and health care.

"Unless we have a good medical education system, public health will continue to suffer," he said adding that unless corrected, people would be barred from receiving quality treatment in the remotest parts of the country.

He said that his past hunger strikes had brought some good changes to improve the medical sector. For instance, students must now pass their entrance examinations before going abroad for studies, seats and fee structure is being defined and medical colleges are receiving affiliation after meticulous criteria matching.

Dr. KC also defended his demand to limit Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University's affiliation. "From a long time, both TU and KU have said that they cannot provide more affiliation. The Mathema's report also shows that it would be difficult for a university to give affiliation to more than five colleges.

He said that he was even more welcoming if the government built one medical college in each province outside the Kathmandu Valley. "I have always supported the fact that medical colleges should also be built in remote areas."

Bishwa Prakash Sharma, spokesperson of Nepali Congress said that the party would accept three options that the government gives in regards to Dr. KC's ongoing fast-unto-death.

The three options are: government accepts the Mathema Proposal's; accepts the second report draft or the agreement that ended Dr. KC's 15th hunger strike.