Residents' protest continues after not receiving stipends, medical colleges defy regulations
Nepal Health News, Kathmandu — Despite a directive from the Medical Education Commission mandating that resident doctors working in private medical colleges be paid a stipend equivalent to that of government doctors at the eighth level, several medical colleges in Kathmandu and Biratnagar have failed to provide this stipend for three months, prompting ongoing protests by the doctors.
In a meeting held on Magh 25 (February 8), the Medical Education Commission decided that resident doctors in private medical colleges should receive a monthly stipend of NPR 48,737, equivalent to the eighth-level pay scale for government doctors. This decision was further reinforced in another meeting on Baisakh 15 (April 27), attended by Prime Minister and Commission Chancellor KP Sharma Oli, where medical college operators agreed to implement the decision.
However, private institutions including Kathmandu Medical College, Birat Medical College, and Nobel Medical College have defied this decision, refusing to pay the stipend. In response, students and doctors have launched protests, also accusing the colleges of threatening resident doctors.
Dr. Sheshraj Ghimire, chairperson of the Safe Workplace Struggle Committee for Health Workers, told Nepal Health News, “It is unfortunate that instead of implementing a constitutionally mandated stipend, doctors are being intimidated.” According to him, some colleges such as Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Manipal Medical College, Lumbini Medical College, and Devdaha Medical College have already started paying the stipend as per the Commission’s directive.
The protesting resident doctors have called the attention of the Ministry of Health and the Commission, demanding immediate implementation of the stipend. They say that it is deeply concerning that doctors working in a sector directly connected to public life have been forced to take to the streets to fight for their own rights.
Call for Government Attention
The protesting doctors have warned that if the Ministry of Health and the Medical Education Commission do not resolve the issue promptly, the protests will intensify. They are demanding that the government monitor the actions of medical college operators and ensure the implementation of the Commission's decision.
