The Medical Education Bill, that was passed by the House of Representatives (HoR) despite protest by lawmakers of the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) on Friday, has also been presented at the National Assembly on Monday.
Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel presented the despite the NC lawmakers chanting slogans. Chairman Ganesh Timalsina invited the lawmakers to lodge amendment proposals, if any, after no lawmakers registered their name for discussion on the bill.
Speaking before Pokharel presented the bill, NC lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari asked why the dignity of the House has not been maintained if the bill is important. "The government says the agreement with Dr Govinda KC has been implemented to the letter. They say 95 percent of his demands have been met. There are many projects that have been stuck with just 95 percent progress. Tamakoshi Hydropower Project may have been completed 95 percent but electricity cannot be generated until the remaining five percent of works are completed," he argued.
He pointed how Dean of the Institute of Medicine under the Tribhuvan University Dr Jagadish Agrawal and Dean of Kathmandu University Koju have commented that their institutes are already overloaded, and argued that they would be stretched to monitor additional medical colleges if more were given affiliation.
He argued that B&C Medical College can be provided affiliation even through Purbanchal University by bringing the Koshi Zonal Hospital under it and added that the government need not violate the agreement signed with Dr KC for that. "Dr KC is struggling for his life and the government is determined for the interest of B&C. I have not been able to understand this love for B&C," he stated.
He also urged the government to form a team to hold dialogue with Dr KC. "Has anybody from the government gone to tell Dr KC to not do this? Should the government not go and listen what he is saying? The government should form a dialogue team and start dialogue if it is responsible."
The main opposition NC has already called passing of the bill by the HoR autocratic.
Dr KC is into the 20th day of his 16th fast-unto death demanding that the agreement the government signed with him before ending his 15th on July 26, 2018 be implemented to the letter.
The Medical Education Bill, passed by the
HoR, mainly violated three agreements signed with Dr KC.
The provision prohibiting a university from giving affiliation to more than five medical colleges has been weakened in the bill adding that those outside the Kathmandu Valley that have acquired letter of intent (LOI) can be given affiliation by the Tribhuvan University and the Kathmandu University.
B&C Hospital in Birtamode, Jhapa has acquired LOI from the Kathmandu University, that has already provided affiliation to at least five medical colleges, to operate a medical college.
The bill passed by the HoR on Friday will pave the way for immediate affiliation to B&C. The agreement mentioned medical colleges to be opened outside Kathmandu Valley will have to comply with the policies to be formulated by the Medical Education Commission meaning B&C would have to wait for formation of the commission, and formulation of policies by the commission to get affiliation.
The second is formation of the all-powerful commission for regulation of medical education and to formulate policies about the sector. Dr KC suspects that the bill passed on Wednesday mentioned Medical Education University to undermine the commission.
The third is the issue of Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) that the government had agreed to phase out within five years as the Health Ministry has already announced it will not recruit human resources with qualification of just certificate level. But the bill passed Wednesday states that the CTEVT will continue until the government so wishes.
