Ways paved for opening new medical colleges

Kathmandu, Feb. 10: In Nepal, there are two ways to operate a medical college. One is to be established as an academy of health sciences, and the other is to receive affiliation from a university. However, when the Parliament endorsed the National Medical Education Act in January 2019, the affiliation process came to an end. 

As per the act, a university cannot grant affiliation to more than five medical colleges. By then, the Tribhuvan University (TU) and Kathmandu University (KU) had already granted affiliation to over 10 medical colleges each.

The members of the high-level committee formed to prepare a draft for the medical education act had then said, “The provision behind disallowing universities to provide affiliation to more than five medical colleges was to ensure quality education. Medical college isn’t like colleges of other faculties. They need proper monitoring and support.” 

The government’s plan to establish new medical colleges also couldn’t move forward effectively in lack of universities to grant affiliation. 

In June, 2019, the then government had also started a process to form an Integrated Medical Education Bill under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) to run five new medical colleges under a single executive body.

Discussions have been underway to bring Ram Raja Prasad Singh Academy of Health Sciences in Saptari and Geta Medical College of Kailali under the bill. The government had planned to operate three other colleges in Surkhet, Bardibas and Butwal.

However, two new universities are in course to be eligible for granting affiliation to new medical colleges. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal regarding the two universities underway to grant affiliation to new medical colleges, Dr. Govinda KC, who is a retired orthopaedic surgeon and a medical activist, said, “We need universities to regulate medical colleges. We also need several medical colleges across the country to produce quality manpower. However, there should be certain standards. We need medical colleges that are service-oriented, not profit-oriented.”

Dr. KC remembers how he had to raise his voice against unethical affiliation when Dr. Prakash Sayami was forced to resign by TU officials in 2014 by creating difficult situation when he decided not to grant affiliation to any new medical colleges in his four-year tenure.

In 20 hunger strikes staged from 2012-2022, Dr. KC often raised the voice against unethical affiliation to new medical colleges. “We didn’t want a complete stop in affiliation process. However, we wanted that a university doesn’t grant affiliation to as many colleges as they want,” said Dr. KC.

However, now the authorities argue that a path has been paved for new medical colleges awaiting affiliation.

As per the two recent decisions of the cabinet, Purwanchal University (PU) and Far Western University (FWU) will soon be able to grant affiliation to five new medical colleges each.

After the cabinet allowed the PU to utilise Biratnagar-based Koshi Hospital as its teaching hospital to operate a constituent medical campus, the university has already started necessary process.

The PU has already constructed infrastructures for its academic sector in Gothgaun, Morang.

Similarly, infrastructures are being constructed to upgrade Dadeldhura Hospital as Dadeldhura Medical College (DMC). The DMC will be the constituent medical college of the FWU.

“No process has been initiated from the two universities yet in our office. We have heard that they have received permissions from the cabinet. When they arrive with necessary documents, we will start our work to establish medical colleges under the two universities,” said Dr. Shrikrishna Giri, vice chairperson of the Medical Education Commission (MEC), the governing body of country’s overall medical education.

According to Dr. Giri, the two universities would be liable to grant affiliation to new medical colleges if the process was completed.

“There are at least a dozen medical colleges which are awaiting affiliation to start MBBS courses,” 

said Dr. Giri.

“While our country needs more ‘government medical colleges’, it seems that many new private medical colleges will be operating soon. It is better that 

new medical colleges will be opened; however, the government should ensure that the colleges will be constructed only in necessary places,” said Dr. KC.

According to Dr. KC, there are enough medical colleges and hospitals in the Terai region of Province 1. “I personally believe that the government should construct a medical college in Ilam in Province 1 because it could at least be accessed by poor and sick people from districts like Taplejung, Panchthar, Tehrathum and Sankhuwasabha,” Dr. KC added.

Meanwhile, Deepak Sharma, 

spokesperson for the MoEST, 

said that the government was 

undertaking steps to ensure at least one government medical college in each province.