Doctors and health workers across the country are planning to halt all hospital services (except emergencies) if the government fails to immediately address Dr. KC Govind demands.

Govind has been on a hunger strike since January 9, 2019, demanding crucial reforms in the medical education sector.

Following this, the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) started a relay hunger strike across Nepal to pressurize the government for giving into Govind’s demands on the 20th day of his fast-unto-death.

Doctors in Kathmandu Valley gathered at Tribhuvan University’s Teaching Hospital, Maharagunj to hold a relay hunger strike, displaying their support for the education activist KC Govind’s cause.

Even various NMA chapters’ doctors from outside Kathmandu Valley staged hunger strikes.

However, the government stationed hired persons with national flags at different government hospitals as a counter move to the protest, said NMA officials.

“That was a misuse of national flag and of the right to protest,” stated Dr Mukti Ram Shrestha, NMA President.

“We will stage relay hunger strike for two days across the country if the government does not take any initiative to address Dr KC’s demands by Tuesday, then we will shut stop all hospital services except for emergency,” Shrestha added.

On January 28, 2019 services at hospitals across Nepal were partially affected.

Nepal Minister for Science & Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel said that Govind does not have to protest against the parliament’s decision.

“I request him to embrace the achievements of the National Medical Education Bill,” he added.

Various groups including Nepal Students Union and Nepali Congress Student Wing staged protests on January 26, 2019, urging the government to implement the agreement signed with KC.

Read: Nepal House of Representatives Endorses Much-Awaited Medical Education Bill

Legal Experts Persuade Govt to Put An End to Govind’s Fast

As the turmoil over KC’s demands continues, many legal experts have suggested that the government find an amicable solution to end Govind’s fast-unto-death.

“The government is not showing any gesture toward settling the ongoing impasse. The kind of behavior and utterances by those in government only show that they are not for settling this amicably,” stated advocate Bipin Adhikari.

Adhikari suggests that the government should talk to KC’s supporters to address those demands that were not implemented and also persuade his supporters to utilize the provisions of the bill to their advantage.

“There is still a chance to amend the bill in line with the agreement reached with Dr KC in the past,” Adhikari added.

Legal experts hold the government responsible for not complying with Govind’s agreements and not trying to create an environment for reaching a fresh agreement with Dr KC.

They argue that PM Oli’s remark— the agreement with Dr KC was reached under different circumstances only, put the prime minister in poor light.

In Nepal the constitution is supreme rather than the parliament, argued Advocate Bhimarjun Acharya while expressing dissatisfaction over both parties inability to come to a conclusion.

“Of course, parliament is supreme when it comes to making laws. It is not good to obstruct the lawmaking role of parliament. However, remedy can be sought if any provision in the law breaches constitutional norms,” he added.

Similar:

• Heat Intensifies over Nepal Medical Education Bill, KC Writes Open Letter!

The post NMA Protests Against Government Over Dr KC Govind’s Demands appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

This appalling percentage includes aspiring doctors and dentists who passed MBBS and BDS examinations from Nepal medical institutions and other countries.

Their failure in this examination bars them from practicing medicine in Nepal, as of now.

Students Performance in NMC Licensing Examination:
Following are the statistics:

• 912 MBBS and BDS applied for the examination conducted out of 903 who appeared for the exam
• Only 262 persons passed the examination which resulted in a 29 percent success rate
• According to NMC Chairman Dharma Kanta Baskota, usually, only 20 to 25 percent of students who write the exam secure pass marks
• More than 60 percent of the applicants are students who had failed to succeed in their previous attempt
• NMC permits the aspirants to make innumerable attempts until they pass the exam
• Out of the 903 applicants who wrote their exam, 500 students were re-attempting their exam
• 150 students were fresh Nepali graduates while the remaining 350 were fresh graduates from other countries
• According to Baskota, usually, over 80 percent of foreign medical students fail their licensing exams, whereas 80 percent of the Nepali medical students pass their exam

About NMC:
NMC is a statutory Nepali body that governs medical education and regulates the registration of doctors in Nepal. The results of the NMA-conducted exams are published on the same day as the examination. These exams are conducted at an interval of every four months.

Conclusion:
We hope that the new Nepal medical education reforms will be able to provide quality education to these students and gradually improve their performance in the field.

The post NMC: Over 71 Percent Students Fail to Clear Licensing Exam appeared first on Nepali Sansar.