Key Takeaways:

• NMC suspends registration of foreign doctors amid document concerns
• Some Good Standing Certificates confirmed forged or not issued by regulators
• Hospitals, institutions and Nepali doctors asked to provide written explanations
• Special committee formed to investigate foreign doctors' status and activities.

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 19 The Nepal Medical Council (NMC) has temporarily suspended the registration process of some foreign national doctors after raising concerns over the authenticity of documents submitted for their registration and certification. Issuing a public notice, the council said serious doubts had arisen over documents submitted by foreign doctors through medical and dental colleges, health science institutions and hospitals operating in Nepal. It said some Good Standing Certificates submitted for registration were found not to have been issued by the concerned medical councils or regulatory authorities, while some documents were officially confirmed to be forged. The NMC said the registration process of some foreign doctors whose documents were found to be forged, as well as other foreign doctors currently undergoing scrutiny, had been suspended temporarily. The institutions and hospitals that recommended the doctors for registration, the applicants themselves and Nepali doctors who supported their applications have been asked to provide written explanations and appear before the council as required. It also warned that medical and dental colleges, health institutions and hospitals would be responsible themselves if they recommended foreign doctors for registration without verifying the authenticity of the documents they submitted. The council has also formed a special committee to investigate the registration status, working conditions and professional activities of foreign national doctors working at various medical and dental colleges, health science institutions and hospitals in Nepal. The council said it remained committed to ensuring the full authenticity of qualifications and professional documents submitted by foreign doctors seeking to provide health services in Nepal.