Miscellaneous
Students warn of stern protest
Having been denied admission in post-graduate programmes by two Tribhuvan University-affiliated medical colleges, students whose names are on merit list have warned of stern protests.Having been denied admission in post-graduate programmes by two Tribhuvan University-affiliated medical colleges, students whose names are on merit list have warned of stern protests.
Many of the students who were asked to come back on Sunday by the National Medical College, Birgunj and the Universal Medical College, Bhairahawa were told that they would not be admitted in the college for the MD/MS courses.
“We went to Universal on Sunday and this time they said they cannot admit the students on merit list because other students are already enrolled,” said an MBBS doctor, whose name appeared on the IoM merit list to study PG course.
Others students got the similar response from National.
The Doctors’ Society of Nepal has warned that they will be forced to stage a series of protests if the merit system in not implemented in earnest. The government should be responsible for any “untoward situation” caused by the protest, the society said in a statement.
The students, who were listed on the merit list, also submitted a memorandum to the IoM dean on Sunday, stating that the medical colleges denied them admission.
They have urged the IoM to safeguard the rights of the students on the merit list to get enrolled in medical schools.
The IoM has repeatedly asked the two colleges to abide by the merit system in the admission process, also warning them that admission of any students outside of
the merit list would not be recognised.
The denial from the private medical colleges also violates the Supreme Court’s interim order that the admissions should be based on merit.
A single bench of Justice Anil Kumar Sinha had issued the order stating that the admission process should be based on merit and open counseling.
“The denial to admit students despite apex court’s interim order and IoM’s notice is a case of impunity. It also shows how the medical college owners think they are above the law,” said Dr Govinda KC, orthopaedic surgeon of TU Teaching Hospital and activist demanding reforms in medical education including making private medical colleges accountable.
Dean of IoM Dr Jagdish Prasad Agrawal maintains that the medical colleges must implement the merit-based admission.
Dr KC threatens another death fast
Dr Govinda KC has warned that he would stage another hunger strike from July 15 unles the government takes serious initiatives for reforms in medical education.
Calling the TU’s recent decision to set the fees at Rs3.1 million as “exorbitant”, Dr KC has asked the government to implement reasonable fees for the MD/MS courses.
He claimed that the office bearers set the fees after being influenced by “medical mafias”.
“The fees set by the faculty board of the Institute of Medicine should be implemented,” Dr KC has demanded. The faculty board, the highest authority of the IoM, had set Rs2.3 million as the fees of MD/MS courses.
Dr KC has also demanded that the government should immediately appoint assistant deans and campus chief based on seniority at the IoM, while urging it to expedite process on Health Profession Education Act.
Writ filed at SC against colleges
KATHMANDU: The meritorious students who were denied admission have moved the Supreme Court against the National Medical College, Birgunj and the Universal Medical College, Bhairahawa, demanding that the colleges carry out admissions based on the merit list.
Advocate Rita Bhandari filed a writ on behalf of Dr Nishant Kumar Thakur; Dr Krishna Adhikari; Dr Prem Bahadur Maharjan; Dr Piyush Shrestha; Dr Prashant Kadel and Dr Shradha Phyual, whose names are on the merit list published by the IoM for post-graduate studies.
They have demanded that they should be allowed to study PG programme in different courses. In the writ, the advocate has argued that the colleges have done injustice to the students. (PR)