Nepalis basked in the vicarious glory when Rajendra Bhatta, a young Nepali from the rural backwaters of western Nepal, made it to the NASA. This is no small achievement, especially considering many us who would rather remain content with lesser pursuits. Neither would many of us even envy the eminence of such coveted positions. But we definitely would want him to graduate from a rookie scientist and do something to make the whole world go gaga. Unexpectedly, prospects for Nepali doctors seem to have turned bright overnight too. Thanks to the acute dearth of doctors in hospitals in the Philippines.

A hospital in eastern Philippines is known to have opened up a residency programme for

Nepali doctors to address the shortage of the breed. It has been learnt that some 40 Nepali doctors may land a job at the state-run Bicol Medical Centre at Naga City. Growth opportunities aside, the temptation to rake in mullah makes such offers irresistible. Add to this the state’s growing avarice to hoard remittance money. It is no wonder that Nepali students instead of taking subjects that they would more likely be interested in opt for subjects that would land them lucrative jobs abroad. One may wonder that with the government failing to dangle the carrot before Nepali professionals, it won’t be long before the country is deserted for politicians to ponder over their umpteen failures.