Dr Govinda KC on Sunday issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government to revoke its decision to grant affiliation to the Kathmandu National Medical College (KNMC). 

The orthopaedic surgeon, who has already staged fast-unto-death on 11 occasions pressing for reforms in medical education, has warned of another hunger strike from September 6 if the government turns a deaf ear to his demands.

In a statement on Sunday, Dr KC has said that the prime minister, in his capacity as chancellor of the Tribhuvan University, should also take responsibility for the affiliation.

Raising question over PM and education minister’s silence on the affiliation issue despite widespread criticism, Dr KC has said in the statement: “TU office bearers, including vice chancellor, rector and registrar, should be immediately sacked over their affiliation decision.”

While the Heath Ministry has formed a probe panel, the KNMC management has declined to cooperate arguing that the Education Ministry had already granted them permission to run academic activities.

The TU executive council on July 27 granted affiliation to the medical school on the basis of a Supreme Court ruling of September 16, 2014. The affiliation was granted to the medical college to run the MBBS course as per the order of SC’s division bench of then-Chief Justice Damodar Prasad Sharma and Justice Om Prakash Mishra on September 16, 2014.

In the final hearing, the SC had argued that there was no reason to deny affiliation if the medical college meets the set criteria. However, another SC decision on March 2, 2017 had stated that barring the affiliation was not a case of contempt of court, as claimed by the petitioner, since the government was working seriously on ending anomalies in the medical education sector.

This college is an extension of the Birgunj-based National Medical College, owned by Basruddin Ansari who is close to the CPN-UML leadership. The college has been found to have been running its teaching hospital illegally in a multi-storey building in Ghattekulo. The National had applied for approval on July 30.

A committee led by Dr Karbir Nath Yogi, professor at the TU Institute of Medicine, had submitted an inspection report in 2013, recommending affiliation for the college. It is now clear that the team inspected an illegal institution and furnished recommendations on ad-hoc basis.

The committee faced intense criticism after revelation that the TU affiliation was based on the fake inspection report that listed non-existent infrastructure and services.

Apart from the annulment of affiliation, Dr KC has also demanded that the jurisdiction of affiliation, student enrolment and fees should be granted to the Institute of Medicine.

He has also said that the Health Profession Education Bill should be immediately endorsed incorporating their suggestions.