Expressing serious reservations over the Tribhuvan University’s “secret” move to grant affiliation to a new medical college in Kathmandu, Dr Govinda KC has warned of stern protests including a hunger strike if the decision is not scrapped.

Dr KC, who has been staging a series of hunger strikes demanding reforms in the country’s medical education and health care, issued a fresh warning on Sunday after it was revealed that the TU Executive Council on July 27 granted affiliation to the Ghattekulo-based National Medical College.

The medical school in Kathmandu is an extension of the Birgunj-based National Medical College, owned by Basruddin Ansari.

The National College has been notorious for charging exorbitant fees for MBBS and post-graduate medical courses. It has been in the news recently for refusing to admit meritorious students despite repeated directives from the Institute of Medicine, the TU governing body.

 “We are shocked by the news that the TU Executive Council office bearers affiliated a new medical college against the past agreements and commitments at a time when we were on a hunger strike with a number of demands,” Dr KC said in a statement.

Condemning the decision as “irresponsible and disgraceful”, Dr KC stressed

that there was no legal way to grant affiliation to any new medical college as the court had not issued any interim order against the agreements the government signed with him.

“The decision to grant affiliation, citing the court order, to serve their vested interests proves that the TU Executive Council office bearers are not working for the institution but for medical mafia,” the crusader charged.

Dr KC has urged lawmakers to endorse the Health Profession Education Bill, which has been tabled in Parliament, by incorporating some key recommendations made by a team of experts led by Dr Kedar Bhakta Mathema. He also warned of resorting to another hunger strike if the bill was passed without changes.

The National Medical College is under the scanner for not fulfilling the infrastructure requirement to run medical courses.

The college building at Ghattekulo meant to conduct an MBBS programme was originally built as an apartment block.