Differences between the Medical Education Commission and the private medical colleges over the sustenance allowances for the postgraduate (PG) medicine students prolong even after the prime minister’s intervention in the matter.

The private medical colleges have been offering around Rs19,000 to Rs24,000 to the PG medical students on a monthly basis. However, following the struggle of the students, who are also called resident doctors, the commission increased the stipend at par with the medical officer’s Rs48,737. Objecting to the move, the private medical colleges have refused to participate in the commission’s process for seat allocation.

The commission, which is the regulating body of the medical education providers, had asked the medical colleges to fill up the appraisal form based on which the seats are allotted. But the medical colleges' refusal has delayed the allocation of student admission seats. Among the 1,100 annual quotas for MD, MS and MDS, 700 are allocated to the private medical colleges while the medical academies and government colleges get the remaining ones.

The state-funded medical academies and colleges are ready to pay the increased allowance. As PG students are the ones managing patients first-hand in every medical college, there is the practice of giving them allowances. They, however, need to pay a certain course fee, which is Rs2.3 million.

With no sign of a resolution, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, as the commission chair, directed Minister for Education, Science and Technology Bidya Bhattarai, Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel and the commission vice-chair Dr Anjani Kumar Jha to find a solution through dialogue with the stakeholders. Oli chaired the commission’s meeting that was attended by two ministers, authorities of the commission and representatives of the medical colleges.

“The prime minister asked the medical colleges to fill up the appraisal forms mentioning the maximum amount they can pay the students,” reads a statement from Oli’s secretariat. At the meeting, the representatives of medical colleges complained that the allowance was increased without consulting them.

“We are not in a position to pay the allowance increased unilaterally,” said Dr Gyanendraman Singh Karki, chairman of the Association of Medical and Dental Colleges of Nepal.

According to the academic calendar, the classes for the PG should start by the end of November after completing the seat allocation, entrance tests and admission. However, with even the seat determination yet to start, it is certain that the academic calendar will not be followed.

The allocation of seats, entrance examinations and admission will take more than a month, provided that the entire process goes smoothly.

Having formed a struggle committee, the postgraduate students have demanded to make the masters course free in addition to the increased stipend. They claim that since they serve hospitals three times the time they spend in classrooms, it is illogical to demand fees from them.

Issuing a statement on Friday, the struggle committee demanded action against the medical college management that refuses to increase the allowance. It alleges that the private medical colleges are bargaining to hike the fees.

Jha said they will resolve the issue through discussions and will hold the entrance examinations as soon as possible.