The Tribhuvan University (TU) has yet to endorse the Institute of Medicine’s proposal on the number of seats and fee details for MD/MS programmes. The IoM—the university’s medical wing—had forwarded the proposal a week ago. 

The Executive Council of TU has to endorse the total medical seats for the Masters’ in Medicine and Dentistry for implementation. 

The IoM has already recommended the seats for its affiliated medical schools for the upcoming academic session. Besides, the executive council has to endorse IoM Faculty Board’s recent decision to reduce the fee ceiling for MD/MS to Rs2.3 million. The board had informed the executive committee about the March 25 decision and sought its endorsement. 

“We have already published the results of the entrance examination held on Saturday. We will be starting the counseling process soon. In the meantime, we are waiting for TU’s decision to assign the medical schools to students on merit basis,” said IoM Dean Dr Jagdish Prasad Agrawal. 

The IoM has always struggled to regulate its medical colleges, especially on issues related to the fee structure. The executive council has repeatedly failed to decide on the fees for the post-graduate courses, what many believe is due to influence by medical college owners and political leaders. “We follow our own process. This might take some time,” said IoM Registrar Dilli Upreti, without divulging details.

Officials at the IoM say the TU are against the idea of regulating the fees of its MD/MS programmes which would allow the private medical schools to charge as much as they want. 

Last year, National Medical College, Birjung and Universal Medical College, Bhairahawa had charged as much as Rs10 million and over Rs7 million for their courses including Radiology and Orthopaedics. Both the colleges run MD/MS programmes in Radiology, Orthopaedics, Internal Medicine, Gynaecology, General Surgery, among others. 

Four more medical colleges—Chitwan Medical College, Nepal Army Institute of Health Sciences, Gandaki Medical College and KIST Medical College—have been granted permission to begin MD/MS programme for this year. 

The Supreme Court had to intervene in regulating the college fees last year after it denied issuing an interim order on a petition lodged by non-meritorious students seeking legal recognition to their admission in MD/MS programmes while claiming that implementing the merit-based admissions would be unfair to them.

In its verdict, the apex court had asked the bodies concerned to follow the merit list while admitting students. 

The IoM officials said the delay caused by the TU in endorsing the proposal could hit their academic calendar. According to the IoM rule, the medical colleges affiliated to the TU are required to admit students within 35 days of commencement of the classes at the IoM’s Maharajung Campus.