Kathmandu, June 22

Resident doctors at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital today staged a protest against the  Ministry of Health and Population’s proposal to amend the Medical Education Act, which makes it mandatory for medical students who receive a government scholarship to serve at hospitals in rural areas for at least five years.

Dr Sumit Pandey, president of Nepal Residential Doctors’ Association, said the government could not force the doctors to work in rural areas.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, Dr Ghanashyam Kharel said resident doctors had demanded that the bond duration be reduced. “We are ready to work in rural areas as per the government’s policy if we are provided additional facilities,” he added.

“Earlier, doctors who completed their medical courses on government scholarship were required to serve in government hospitals only for two years,” he said, adding, “Not only this, as per the proposal, women resident doctors are not allowed maternity leave more than once,” said Dr Subina Gautam, resident doctor at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

The MoHP has been working to implement women’s reproductive rights and safe motherhood programme but it is ignoring the problem of doctors working under the ministry.