The Ministry of Health (MoH) has terminated contracts of five government doctors who had submitted fake academic credentials and summoned three other permanent doctors to the ministry.

The move follows Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s instruction to suspend the doctors who have been arrested on charge of possessing fake academic certificates.

The doctors whose contracts have been terminated are Kush Raj Giri of Narayani Sub-regional Hospital, Ramji Yadav of Janakpur Zonal Hospital, Sanjay Kumar Rae and Manish Aryal of Koshi Zonal Hospital and Santosh Kumar Jha of National Academy of Medical Sciences. Similarly, Dr Sunil Acharya of Lumbini Zonal Hospital and Dr Saroj Kumar Singh and Dr Panna Lal Prasad Pate of Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital have been summoned.

Mahendra Shrestha, spokesperson for the MoH, said the ministry has also written to the Nepal Medical Council to suspend the practising license of the doctors in question until a final decision on the matter is taken. A letter to this effect was dispatched to the NMC on Sunday evening.

PM Dahal on Sunday directed Health Secretary Dr Sinendra Raj Upreti to make sure that those doctors who are being investigated for possessing fake academic credentials do not attend to patients.

A joint investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police and then Higher Secondary Education Board had found over 110 doctors with fake academic credentials from the Bihar Intermediate Education Council. Of them, 54 have been arrested since February. In June alone, the CIB had arrested 36 doctors from various parts of the country.