KATHMANDU: Lawmakers, speaking at a meeting of the Legislature-Parliament’s Committee on Women, Children and Social Welfare, today, strongly called for implementation of the report on reforms in medical education sector, submitted to the government by a taskforce headed by Prof Kedar Bhakta Mathema.

They said the report was very useful and significant in improving the standard and access to the medical studies, suggesting the government to implement the report in different phases if it is not possible to implement all the 85 points of the report at once.

The lawmakers, who were one in demanding implementation of the report, also expressed their concern over the deteriorating health of Prof Dr Govinda KC, who is on a fast-unto-death calling for the implementation of the report.

Arguing that the government has no compulsion to follow the suggestions given by the taskforce for medical education in letter and spirit, Lawmaker Rajendra Pandey, however, said that the government should not make any delay to give affiliation to medical colleges, which have already got the letter of intent, as well as have the required physical infrastructures.

Lawmaker Badri Pandey stressed that urban-centred and business-oriented medical education should be made rural and service-oriented while Banshidhar Mishra expressed the view that private medical colleges should be closed if the suggestions given by the taskforce are implemented as it is.

Lawmakers-- Ramhari Subedi, Dhaniram Subedi, Anuradha Thapa Magar, Asha Koirala, Shreemaya Thakali, Rikmini Chaudhary and Umesh Shrestha said that the government should monitor the private medical colleges.

Speaking at the meeting, Coordinator of the taskforce, Kedar Bhakta Mathema, said that they prepared the report not for money, but it was based on what they saw.

He said, "The government urged us to do something to make the medical education systematic. We could not deny the request of the government."