The sub-committee of Education and Health Committee under federal parliament on Monday concluded the clause-wise discussions on the National Medical Education Bill. The deliberations were held with the lawmakers who registered proposals for amendment in the bill, said Bhairabh Bahadur Singh, the sub-committee coordinator.

A total of 22 amendment proposalswere registered.The committee on Sunday held discussions on the preamble and 16 clauses of the bill and the remaining clauses were discussed on Monday, Singh said.“We are yet to hold discussions with some of the stakeholders. We will prepare a report after meeting them,” he said.

The committee will register the bill at the parliament after the sub-committee submits its report. The remaining tasks will be finished so as to table the National Medical Education Bill in the first meeting of parliament’s winter session, the committee said. 

According to rule 182 of the House of Representatives Regulations-2075, the sub-committee was formed to hold clause-wise discussions on the National Medical Education Bill. Speaking at the meeting to discuss clause-wise discussions on the bill, the lawmakers urged the government to implement the agreement reached with senior orthopedic surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) Dr Govinda KC.

Anti-corruption crusader, Dr KC has already held 15 rounds of hunger strikes demanding reforms in the country's medical education and profession.

Dr KC had demanded that the government withdraw the bill tabled earlier in the Parliament and incorporate the major provisions in the bill in line with the recommendations of a taskforce led by Kedar Bhakta Mathema. Earlier, Dr KC had threatened to launch 16th hunger strike if the bill was not enacted into law as per the nine-point agreement reached with him.

Some of the crucial recommendations made by the taskforce led by Mathema are imposing a moratorium on setting up medical colleges in the Kathmandu Valley for 10 years, mandatory for a hospital to run for three years before it expands into a medical college; allowing one university grant affiliation to maximum of five medical colleges.