Education Minister urges for consensus on medical education bill
KATHMANDU: Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel has urged the parliament to forward the Bill on National Medical Education as per the main spirit of agreement reached between the government and Dr Govinda KC.
Minister Pokharel said this at the meeting of Education and Health Committee under the House of Representatives today.
“It would be appropriate to move ahead as per the agreement reached between government and Dr KC with regards to the bill. However, more discussion is required regarding the modality and ways to be adopted to make the medical colleges non-profit institutions,” he said.
Earlier, lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai had stated that there were no differences in the committee, that the main spirit of the bill should be internalised to remove the anomalies seen in medical education sector, and that the agreement between government and Dr KC has respected each others’ sentiments.
Lawmaker Gagan Thapa also stressed the need to address the questions raised regarding the country’s medical education sector once and for all by implementing, in letter and spirit, agreement reached between the government and Dr KC.
Lawmakers Akawal Miya and Chitra Lekha Yadav also suggested resolving the issue as per the same agreement.
Likewise, coordinator of the sub-committee Bhairab Bahadur Singh maintained that provisions in the bill such as not allowing to open medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years, providing affiliation to medical colleges only after 10 years, allowing to open medical colleges in places outside Kathmandu Valley, upgrading the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and CMA education so as to terminate these programmes within five years, and doctors studying on government scholarship having to compulsorily work in mountainous and remote districts for two years were keeping with the spirit of the agreement.
The discussions on the bill have concluded in the sub-committee today and would be given the final shape on Wednesday.