Private residential doctors to receive approved living allowance

KATHMANDU: The 19th meeting of the Medical Education Commission today has concluded that the private medical colleges should ensure living expenses to residential doctors as per the rate it was decided and since the decision came into effect.

Similarly, residential doctors who are agitating should get back to their duties and studies, the meeting stressed. It may be noted that 16th meeting of the Commission on February 8 warranted the private medical colleges to pay the residential doctors with living allowances on par with the government facilities. It has decided that private residential doctors shall be paid with Rs 48, 737 of living allowances per month.

The meeting also entertained a report by the 11-member taskforce to review the number of seats and fees structures of the private medical colleges for MBBS and BDS programmes.

In the meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, task force coordinator Dr Deepak Kafely, the Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, handed over the report to Prime Minister and Commission Chair KP Sharma Oli.

The report has paved the way for forming a technical committee and reviews the seats and fees structures on the basis of standards of the medical colleges in accordance with the Medical Education Act- 2075 BS.

Based on the report, a technical committee led by Pro Dr Sujan Babu Marhatta of the Directorate of Planning, Coordination and Academic Upgradation within the Commission was formed. It shall comprise Pro Dr Dibya Singh Shah, senior charter accountant Mahesh Guragain, charter accountant Santosh Khanal and undersecretaries of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Finance.

Talking to media following the meeting, Commission Co-Chair and Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Raghuji Pant said the Commission’s 16th meeting has already decided for the living allowances on par with the government facilities for residential doctors of the private hospital and agitating doctors are expected to get back to work.