Kathmandu, November 4

The government appointed members of the Medical Education Commission today.

According to a press release issued by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the prime minister appointed the members of the commission.

The members of the commission include Vice-chancellor of Tribhuvan University Dr Dharma Kanta Banskota, Vice-chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences Dr Bharat Kumar Yadav and vice-chancellor of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

According to the Medical Education Act, there is a provision of nomination of chairpersons of Nepal Nursing Association and Association of Health Profession Educationists, Nepal as the commission’s members. Tara Pokharel and Shekhar Babu Rijal have been respectively selected from the two associations.

PM Oli has selected Dr Dibya Singh Shah as one of the commission’s members. Shah is the PM’s personal doctor. She along with Dr Shaili Pradhan and Dr Jagadish Prasad Agrawal have been selected from the category of Medical Education Expert. Agrawal is the dean of Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj.

From among the civil society category Dr Ramesh Kanta Adhikari and Dr Geeta Gurung have been selected for the commission’s members.

Earlier, the government had appointed senior orthopaedic consultant Dr Shree Krishna Giri as vice-chairperson of Medical Education Commission.

The National Medical Education Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives on January 25, despite criticism from the opposition Nepali Congress and Dr Govinda KC, has a provision for forming the Medical Education Commission. Establishment of Medical Education Commission was one of the key demands of Dr KC, for which he staged 16 fast-unto-death strikes since July 2012.

The commission is envisioned as an all powerful body for granting or revoking affiliation of medical colleges and for regulating the entire medical sector.