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The dialogue between the government team and representatives of Dr Govinda KC ended without any conclusion even on the second day Tuesday after the government side repeated its stance that Dr KC should be brought to Kathmandu first and the medical education bill will not be withdrawn. The meeting between the two sides on Monday had also failed to yield any result.

“They presented their stance that Dr KC should be brought to Kathmandu. We told them that he should not be treated as a patient,” senior advocate Surendra Bhandari, who participated in the dialogue held at the Education Ministry in Singha Durbar on behalf of Dr KC, told Setopati.

“We said he cannot be brought to Kathmandu until we are assured that his demands will be addressed. We told them that he demands that the government should at least take back the bill presented to the parliament, and submit the ordinance brought by the Sher Bahadur Deuba government if possible. But they did not budge from their stance.”

Bhandari revealed that the representatives advised the government team to go to Jumla and negotiate with the fasting doctor themselves.

Dr KC’s representatives went to meet Education Minister Giri Raj Mani Pokharel after the government team did not budge from their stance. Minister Pokharel told them that a helicopter is on standby to fly to Jumla to bring the doctor to Kathmandu and he cannot do anything without that.

Bhandari, advocate Om Prakash Aryal and Dr Avishek Raj Singh has taken part in the dialogue on behalf of Dr KC.

The government on Monday had formed its dialogue team under Education Secretary Khaga Raj Baral and including joint secretaries at the home and health ministries.

Dr KC is into the 18th day of his fast-unto-death at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla demanding that the ordinance brought by the Deuba government be implemented as it is.

Dr KC has accused the government of bringing the bill to replace the ordinance with an intention of providing affiliation for medical college to four hospitals owned by businessmen close to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

The ordinance stops establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years as demanded by Dr KC, limits granting of affiliation by a university to a maximum of five medical colleges, and allows affiliation to only those that have operated a hospital, taking permission from the Health Ministry, for three years among others.

The most repeated criticism of Dr Govinda KC’s demands is why should one stop opening of medical colleges in Kathmandu when hundreds of students go abroad to study MBBS.

Everyone from Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli to the businessmen awaiting affiliation for medical colleges argue that new medical colleges should be opened to stop students going abroad to study medicine.

But the argument put forward against Dr KC is not supported by facts.

The number of students going abroad to study medicine is falling, and it is falling down even inside Nepal. A total of 2,091 students got admitted for MBBS and 505 for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) inside Nepal in 2015 while 1,461 went abroad for MBBS and BDS.

This is the data that PM Oli and the businessmen provide to support their argument but that is just a half truth. It is the data for the year when those going abroad to study medicine did not have to pass entrance examination. Anyone who had money could go abroad to study if the foreign medical colleges accepted them. Most of those students were those who would fail entrance examinations in Nepal.

The situation is different now.

The number of students going abroad has fallen by a whopping 1,000 in 2016 once the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) implemented the rule requiring those students to pass entrance examinations in Nepal.

Just 478 students went abroad to study MBBS and BDS in 2016, according to NMC Chairman Dharma Kanta Baskota. The number for those inside Nepal in the year was around 2,500. The number of students going abroad has risen to just 495 even in 2017.

“Those who could not pass entrance exams apparently used to go abroad earlier. The number is falling once we made it mandatory to pass entrance examinations even to go abroad,” Baskota told Setopati.

Dean of the Institute of Medicine Dr Jagadish Agrawal said those who cannot get enrolled in medical colleges here and cannot pay the fees in lump sum go abroad. “Those who could not pass entrance examinations used to go abroad earlier. They now go abroad due to higher fees and tougher course here,” he pointed.

Promoters of medical colleges here in this way are also to blame for students going abroad as they charge exorbitant fees. Even those who are in the merit list after entrance examinations also are forced to go abroad due to the exorbitant fees. Many students have even moved the Supreme Court (SC) against the colleges that demand higher fees than that specified by the government.

Dr Agrawal refutes the argument that students are going abroad in lack of adequate medical colleges here and claims that many medical colleges here also do not have sufficient students. “There is scarcity of students for MBBS and BDS even inside Nepal,” he stated. “The medical colleges affiliated to the Tribhuvan University (TU) do not have adequate students. We could not get enough students for the allocated seats in this session. How can there be a surplus of students?” he argued.

He revealed that Janaki Medical College and National Medical College, both affiliated to TU, did not get adequate students. Janaki could admit just 46 Nepali students despite having 80 seats. The medical college is running this session without adequate students.

National also got just 45 Nepali students for 90 seats, and admitted Indians for the remaining seats. Many of those Indians have not even passed entrance examinations, according to him.

IOM annulled admission of foreign students done violating rules that require the medical colleges to admit Nepali students for at least 75 percent of the allocated seats, and even foreign students to pass entrance examinations.

National has moved the SC against the IOM decision hoping that the Apex Court will again rule in its favor as it had in the past when National and other medical colleges had admitted foreign students violating the rules.

Kathmandu University (KU), on the other hand, admits foreign students even without holding entrance examinations.

Students have to go abroad also as medical colleges take foreign students even in the seats allocated for Nepalis.

Many students who pass MBBS from abroad do fail NMC’s license examinations. NMC Chairman Baskota claimed that 80 percent of students who pass MBBS from abroad fail the license examinations.

“Those who have passed MBBS from abroad have failed license exams in up to 34 attempts,” he stated. “The quality of the colleges where the students go to study has a meaning.”

NMC is trying to stop allowing one to attempt for license so many times.

“One has to get license to practice after passing MBBS. We have submitted a draft law to the government setting a limit of 10 attempts.”

Dr Govinda KC has said he is ready to die in Jumla and will not end his fast-unto-death unless his demands are fulfilled. Stating that he has started his crusade for reform in medical education sector for the benefit of general public, he has vowed to continue his fight till his last breath.

“Mafia prevails in the health sector. The current government is a major accomplice of the mafias,” he told Setopati from his bed. “My struggle will not stop until a law is formulated to end the malpractices in medical education and health sectors.”

Dr Govinda KC is into the 11th day of his fast-unto-death at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla demanding that the ordinance brought by the Deuba government be implemented as it is.

Dr KC has accused the government of bringing the bill to replace the ordinance with an intention of providing affiliation for medical college to four hospitals owned by businessmen close to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

The ordinance stops establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years as demanded by Dr KC, limits granting of affiliation by a university to a maximum of five medical colleges, and allows affiliation to only those that have operated a hospital, taking permission from the Health Ministry, for three years among others.

The government does not seem to be serious about his demands even as his health is deteriorating. Doctors involved in his treatment say there is scarcity of magnesium in his blood and that has resulted in fluctuations in his heart beat. They have said his heart can stop pumping the blood at any time as a result.

Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli, meanwhile, has been making light of Dr KC’s demands and his fast. He instructed lawmakers of the Communist Part of Nepal (CPN) to take a strong stand against Dr KC’s fast and demands during the meeting of parliamentary party on Monday.

“A few persons have been shouting in Kathmandu instigating Dr KC to sleep in Jumla. These persons who have been making unseasonal remarks will stop shouting soon,” PM Oli said.

He had warned the office-bearers of Nepal Medical Association (NMA), who had gone to submit memorandum letter to him on Sunday, of action if there are any protest programs in the health sector. He vowed to develop Nepal as a medical hub and stressed that he will not relent to Dr KC’s demands.

Dr Govinda KC has refused to talk to Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli over the telephone saying his demands are widely known.

“I cannot talk. Let’s not talk over the phone. You all know everything about my demands. Do work toward fulfilling them,” Dr KC’s associate at Jumla Kishore KC quoted the orthopedic surgeon as telling an official from the Prime Minister’s Office who called the fasting doctor after the PM wanted to talk with him Monday morning.

The PMO, meanwhile, has said it has initiated indirect communication with Dr KC. Press Advisor to PM Oli Kundan Aryal said direct communication will also start soon. “PM has showed interest about him. We have started direct discussion with him,” Aryal said. “PM is ready to talk about any issue apart from stopping affiliation and increasing the number of medical colleges,” he added.

He revealed that PM Oli had asked the office-bearers of Nepal Medical Association to create an environment for dialogue with Dr KC during their meeting on Sunday. “You all create environment. I will talk with Dr KC with an open heart. There is no difficulty. But he must break his fast and come to Kathmandu,” Aryal quoted PM Oli as saying.

Dr Govinda KC is into the 10th day of his fast-unto-death at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla demanding that the ordinance brought by the Deuba government be implemented as it is.

Dr KC has accused the government of bringing the bill to replace the ordinance with an intention of providing affiliation for medical college to four hospitals owned by businessmen close to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

The ordinance stops establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years as demanded by Dr KC, limits granting of affiliation by a university to a maximum of five medical colleges, and allows affiliation to only those that have operated a hospital, taking permission from the Health Ministry, for three years among others.

The government has decided to take back the medical education bill submitted to the parliament. The Cabinet meeting held Wednesday night has decided to take back the bill and submit it again after necessary amendments, according to government spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communications Gokul Baskota.

Dr Govinda KC has been staging a fast-unto-death at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla demanding that the Medical Education Ordinance brought by the preceding Sher Bahadur Deuba government be implemented as it is.

Dr KC has accused the government of bringing the bill to replace the ordinance with an intention of providing affiliation for medical college to four hospitals owned by businessmen close to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

The ordinance stops establishment of new medical colleges in Kathmandu Valley for 10 years as demanded by Dr KC, limits granting of affiliation by a university to a maximum of five medical colleges, and allows affiliation to only those that have operated a hospital, taking permission from the Health Ministry, for three years.

The government had submitted the bill removing these provisions. Dr KC started a fast-unto-death in Jumla on Saturday to protest the bill.

The government was not able to table the bill after the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) warned of obstructing the House pointing that the bill to replace the ordinance was brought in a way to kill the spirit of the ordinance.

Doctors have taken Dr Govinda KC, who has been staging a fast-unto-death at the covered hall of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla demanding that the Medical Education Ordinance brought by the preceding Sher Bahadur Deuba government be implemented as it is, to the hospital Wednesday evening defying the restricted zone declared by the government after problems in his chest.

Dr KC has been admitted at the emergency ward of the academy which has been declared off-limits for him, according to Dr Praveen Giri who has been looking after Dr KC.

Dr KC has been fasting at the covered hall of the academy since Saturday. Doctors had refused to treat him after the government denied his admission at the hospital for treatment on their demand. The doctors had warned that Dr KC’s health can deteriorate at any moment due to lack of sanitation at the covered hall.

Giri said Dr KC has been admitted at the emergency ward under leadership of the Jumla branch of Nepal Medical Association after problems in his chest on Wednesday.

The government has brought the medical education bill against the past agreements with Dr KC with an intention of providing affiliation for medical college to four hospitals owned by businessmen close to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). Dr KC started a fast-unto-death in Jumla on Saturday to protest the bill.