Kathmandu, August 4

The government today made public the 100-page report, prepared by the high level task force formed to recommend national policy on Health Profession Education (HPE) on the 37th day after its submission to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala.

An eight-member high level task force under the chairmanship of Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former vice-chancellor of Tribhuvan University had submitted the report to the PM on June 29.

The report has been made public at the official site of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).

A meeting of the Social Committee of the Cabinet decided to publicise the report, said a press statement issued here today by OPMCM.

It said that a cabinet meeting on July 14 had mandated the Social Committee to discuss the report and make it public and prepare to implement it.

A statement issued by Uttam Kumar Khatri, spokesperson at OPMCM said that the meeting also decided to assign a sub-committee under the coordination of a member (overseeing education and health) of National Planning Commission with its members such as secretaries of Finance Ministry, Education Ministry and Health and Population Ministry to prepare an action plan related to HPE Policy by studying, analysing and discussing with the concerned people.

The Social Committee has also directed the sub-committee to prepare the action plan on the basis of need, feasibility and priority within 30 days and present it before the committee.

The report recommends formation of Health Professional Education Commission under the chairmanship of the PM to look into overall issues of medical education sector, such as common entrance, accreditation, core curriculum framework, institution-wise and sector-wise coordination and other tasks such as decentralising medical colleges.

It also talks of various issues such as affiliation of health institutions, enrollment of students, fee ceiling for MBBS studies, free education in Post-graduate studies, launching new programmes on need basis, restructuring Nepal Medical Council, curriculum and evaluation, teaching methodology and others.

OPMCM had formed the committee on November 17, 2014 to draft the HPE Policy in response to one of Dr Govinda KC’s demands to form a panel to recommend on HPE policy.