Resident doctors' strike ends, order issued to increase grants to private medical colleges
Nepal Health News, Kathmandu: The 19th meeting of the Medical Education Commission, held today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has decided to increase the monthly stipend for resident doctors in private medical colleges effective from the date previously set. The meeting has also called on resident doctors to end their protest and return to their studies and duties.
In its 16th meeting held on Magh 25 (February), the Commission had decided that resident doctors enrolled in postgraduate (PG) programs at government institutions would receive a monthly living allowance of NPR 48,737. Considering the demands of private medical colleges in the recent meeting, an 11-member task force was formed to review the number of undergraduate MBBS and BDS seats and the fee structure.
The task force coordinator, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Deepak Kafle, submitted the report to Prime Minister Oli. The report opened the way for a technical committee to be formed as per the Medical Education Act, 2075 (2018), to review seat allocations and fee structures.
To further improve various aspects of the medical education sector, the Commission has also decided to establish a technical committee in coordination with the Commission itself. This committee will include undersecretaries from the Ministries of Education, Health, and Finance, along with technical and financial experts.
The disparity in stipends between doctors in public hospitals and those in private colleges, and objections raised by private institutions, led to three meetings under Prime Minister Oli's leadership to resolve the issue. The new decision aims to end the ongoing protest by resident doctors and initiate reforms in the fee structure in the near future.
As per the decision of this meeting, resident doctors are now expected to return to their academic and clinical responsibilities, and the process of reviewing tuition fees will begin shortly.
