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Govt preparing to pass New Medical Education Bill today



KC

KATHMANDU, Jan 21: The government is preparing to endorse the New Medical Education Bill at the parliament on Monday amid strong opposition from Nepali Congress party and medical associations.

Nepal Communist Party leader Yogesh Bhattarai told Reporters Club Nepal that the Bill will be tabled at the parliament meeting today.

However the government has been neglecting Dr KC’s demands insisting that the new Bill has addressed all the demands put by agitating Dr KC.

“The bill will be presented at the meeting accommodating all the demands of Dr KC,” said Bhattarai.

Arthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC has been staging hunger strike demanding reforms in medical sector for the past two weeks. He began his 16th hunger strike on January 9 after the Education and Health Committee of the legislature parliament endorsed the report on Medical Education Bill against the agreement forged between Dr KC and the government on July 26 last year.

The government and Dr KC reached had reached a deal to bring Medical Education Act, open government medical colleges in all seven provinces and make the health education and services easily accessible for ordinary people.

But, the July 9 report paved way for the B & C Medical College and Manmohan Medical College to operate and made a provision that would grant affiliation to medical colleges outside the valley which is against the agreement that bars Tribhuvan and Kathmandu University from granting affiliation to more than five medical colleges. It also ignores the Mathema report, mentioning deadline to phase out CTEVT intermediate levels of medical education, and opening a new medical university.

The main opposition party Nepal congress has expressed serious concerns over the government’s indifference to Dr KC’s demands and warned the government not to underestimate the protest. The opposition party has accused NCP Chair K P Sharma Oli led government of bring the new Bill disregarding the demands of Dr KC, and has warned to obstruct the government’s plan.

Meanwhile, National Resident Doctors Association (NRDA) and Nepal Medical Association (NMA) have warned strong protest to pressure the government to implement the agreement signed with Dr KC. The NRDA and NMA has asserted that the new Bill has been introduced against the past agreements.

National Resident Doctors Association (NRDA) and the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) have warned of strong protests to pressure the government to fulfill Dr Govinda KC’s demands.

House of Representatives meeting adjourned after NC protest

Govt has addressed almost all the demands of Dr KC: State Minister Yadav

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