17th meeting of Medical Education Commission: Discussion to increase foreign students' number in medical colleges

Kathmandu, Feb 12: The 17th meeting of the Medical Education Commission convened here today discussed and decided on a host of key agendas including increasing the number of foreign students in Nepal's private medical colleges.     

At present, there is a provision of allocating at least 10 per cent of the total seats for the foreign students in private medical colleges.     

In the meeting presided over by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, also the Chairperson of the Commission, the proposal was floated to facilitate the implementation of the decision of the Commission's 16th meeting regarding increasing the monthly living allowances for the resident doctors in private medical colleges.     

Earlier, the Commission in its 16th meeting had decided to provide resident doctors at private medical colleges monthly living allowances similar to those in government medical institutions which meant that the resident doctors in private medical colleges would now avail of a monthly allowance of Rs 48,700.     

Similarly, today's meeting decided to add 209 seats at postgraduate level in medical education.     

Other significant highlights of the meeting include endorsement of the report on research of nursing education in Nepal and enhancing capacity and deliberating on criteria for merging educational institution and medical programmes among others.     

PM Oli, during the meeting, admitted that the government cannot provide free medical education to every student and thus emphasized the importance of private sector's support towards this end.     

He also called for concrete proposal and plan aimed at fostering nursing sector with consideration into matters such as increasing facilities for the nurses and preventing nursing education from turning lackluster.(RSS)