The National Assembly has passed the Medical Education Bill on Thursday despite protest by lawmakers of the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC). CPN lawmakers say President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is set to authenticate the bill on Thursday itself.
Three amendment proposals were registered on the bill that was passed on Friday by the House of Representatives (HoR) despite protest by NC lawmakers.
Brishesh Chandra Lal of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP), Radheshyam Adhikari of Nepali Congress (NC) registered individual amendment proposals, and Sarita Prasai, Prakash Panta and Badri Prasad Pandey of NC registered a joint amendment proposal on the bill demanding that the agreement signed with Dr Govinda KC be implemented.
Brishesh Chandra Lal took part in the discussion explaining the House about his amendment proposals and urged Chairman Timsina to send the bill to the legislation committee for deliberation, while NC lawmakers, standing up in protest, refused to take part in the discussion on their amendment proposals.
Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timsina then put the amendment proposals for decision and the proposals were defeated in the voting.
Chairman Timsina allowed Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel to present the bill for decision despite NC lawmakers standing up in protest, and announced its passing on the basis of majority through voice vote.
Bills are generally sent to the committees for clause-wise discussion but this bill has been passed by holding discussion in the full meeting without being sent to legislation committee.
The government passed the bill Thursday ignoring Dr KC who is into the 23rd day of his 16th fast-unto death demanding that the agreement the government signed with him before ending his 15th on July 26, 2018 be implemented to the letter.
The Medical Education Bill, passed by the HoR, mainly violated three agreements signed with Dr KC.
The provision prohibiting a university from giving affiliation to more than five medical colleges has been weakened in the bill adding that those outside the Kathmandu Valley that have acquired letter of intent (LOI) can be given affiliation by the Tribhuvan University and the Kathmandu University.
B&C Hospital in Birtamode, Jhapa has acquired LOI from the Kathmandu University, that has already provided affiliation to at least five medical colleges, to operate a medical college.
The bill passed by the HoR on Friday will pave the way for immediate affiliation to B&C. The agreement mentioned medical colleges to be opened outside Kathmandu Valley will have to comply with the policies to be formulated by the Medical Education Commission meaning B&C would have to wait for formation of the commission, and formulation of policies by the commission to get affiliation.
The second is formation of the all-powerful commission for regulation of medical education and to formulate policies about the sector. Dr KC suspects that the bill passed on Wednesday mentioned Medical Education University to undermine the commission.
The third is the issue of Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) that the government had agreed to phase out within five years as the Health Ministry has already announced it will not recruit human resources with qualification of just certificate level. But the bill passed Wednesday states that the CTEVT will continue until the government so wishes.
