13th Strike

DEMANDS

1. Passage of Medical Education Act immediately in line with the Mathema taskforce report and our suggestions.
2. Immediately scrap Kathmandu University’s decision to charge fee millions of rupees more than government-set structure and implement the government-set fee of Rs 3.85 million for MBBS inside the Kathmandu Valley and Rs 42.45 million outside the Valley and Rs 19.32 million for BDS. Immediately sack KU’s dean Rajendra Koju and vice chancellor Ram Kantha Makaju for colluding with the mafia and committing financial irregularities. Fix Rs 22.5 million as the fee for MD/MS courses at private medical colleges under Tribhuvan University. Sack TU officials involved in fixing high fees for medical education and granting permissions to colleges lacking minimum requirements and start action against them. Restore the authorities of the IOM that were snatched away by the TU.
3. Initiate investigation against Gopal Khadka, the sacked chief of Nepal Oil Corporation, and recover the billions of rupees embezzled by him. Sack all other officials who colluded with Khadka and engaged in corruption and take action against them. And sack all the officials of various public entities who were proven to have committed corruption but have not faced action, and initiate action against them.
4. Allocate funds and make other arrangements for immediately starting teaching and learning activities at Karnali Academy of Health Sciences. Expedite work to set up government-funded medical colleges in Kailali, Dang, Doti-Dadeldhura, Dhanusha-Mahottari, Udayapur, and Panchthar-Ilam among other places.

REVISED DEMANDS

1. Immediately stop the current pro-mafia Medical Education Bill, revise it in line with the recommendations of the Mathama taskforce report and our suggestions and pass it.
2. Immediate scrapping of the proposed amendments to the Medical Education Act which will bring extreme politicization to the medical education sector and covert the sector as recruitment ground for inept political cadres. The decision made out of vested interest by the education minister to grant CTEVT affiliations to dozens of colleges in the middle of the academic session be scrapped.
3. Ensure affordable and accessible health service for middle and lower classes. Ensure reasonable, free of cost or affordable and quality education for all medical students.
4. Immediately revoke the KU decision to charge fees 10 times higher than prescribed by the government and implement the government-set fee structure. Launch investigation immediately against the KU office bearers involved in making such decision. Set fee for post graduate medical studies at TU-affiliated private colleges at Rs 2.25 million. Dismiss officials involved in fee hike and issuing MBBS permits to colleges without required infrastructures.
5. Allocate funds immediately for starting classes at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, and proceed with the work to set up government medical colleges in Kailali, Dang, Doti-Dadeldhura, Dhanusha-Mahottari, Udayapur and Panchthar-Ilam among other places.
6. Start investigation against the sacked chief of the Nepal Oil Corporation and immediately sack and investigate officials of various organizations who colluded with him and also take action against the politicians involved.
7. Fulfill the demands related to the rights, welfare, perks and benefits of doctors.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. The cabinet meeting to be held on Oct 23, 2017 will recommend issuance of National Medical Education Ordinance, which will include various amendments proposed by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha in line with the recommendations of the ‘National Medical Education Policy Formulation High Level Task Force Report 2072’ and the demands of the hunger strikes.
2. The provision about affordable healthcare to the middle and lower class Nepalis and making available quality or free of cost medical education for all students have been included in the National Medical Education Bill. The related provision will be included in the regulations and guidelines concerned.
3. The cabinet meeting of September 17, 2015 has fixed the MBBS fee at Rs 3.45 million for Kathmandu Valley and Rs 4.2 million for outside the Valley and BDS fee at Rs 1.932 for the academic year 2017/18. The Ministry of Education will publish a public notice in this regard and write to the concerned university to implement the fee structure. The decisions of the officer bearers TU, KU and Nepal Medical Council with regard to issuing affiliation to medical and dental colleges and permissions for expanded and new programs, examinations, fixing of fees and seats among other things, and the controversies related to examination and student admissions at the BPKIHS are already being investigated by a government-formed probe commission headed by former chief judge of Special Court, Gauri Bahadur Karki.Now the government will write to the commission to also investigate into the allegations that Kathmandu University has been charging MBBS and BDS students fees higher than what have been fixed by the government. According to the cabinet decision of September 17, 2015, all private medical colleges will charge Rs 2.3 million as fee for postgraduate medical studies as currently being charged by the Kathmandu University. The medical college concerned will also need to provide the postgraduate students appropriate amount as sustenance allowance. Government will write to the commission led by former chief judge Karki to investigate into the controversy related to the Kathmandu National Medical College and take action as per the recommendation of the commission. With regard to the demand for granting more autonomy to the IOM, the government in line with the TU Act will, on Oct 23, 2017, instruct the TU vice-chancellor to present a proposal to this effect by incorporating the autonomy proposal mentioned in the IOM letter dated Sept 5, 2017, at TU’s upcoming senate meeting.
4. Ministry of Health will do the needful including providing funds for starting teaching learning process at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences. According to the policy of one medical college per province, BPKIHS is in operation in Dharan of Province 1; the process for establishing a medical college in Bardibas of Mahottari in Province 2 is under way. The college will be developed as TU’s affiliate college and a proposal to this effect has already been endorsed by the TU senate; in Province 3, Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Lalitpur, National Academy of Health Sciences and TU Teaching Hospital are in operation; in Province 4 [Gandaki Province], the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences Act has been endorsed and the medical college is in the process of construction; in Province 5, a medical college which will be developed as TU’s affiliate college is in the process of construction and another medical college is in the process of construction following the passage of Rapti Academy of Health Sciences in Dang; in Province 6 [Karnali Province], Karnali Academy of Health Sciences is under operation, and in Surkhet, a medical college to be developed as an affiliate college of the Mid-Western University is under way with due approval by the Mid-Western University; in Province 7, the construction of Geta Medical College, Kailali Teaching Hospital and other buildings is under way through a formation order. Construction up to the plinth level is already complete. The aforementioned construction works will be expedited to ensure that the colleges and hospitals will start operation. Likewise, work to establish government-run medical colleges in Ilam, Udayapur and Dadeldhura will be started from the next fiscal year.
5. Regarding demand for investigation and action against officials involved in the land purchase scam at the Nepal Oil Corporation, the government will cooperate in the investigations conducted by competent investigative authorities.
6. The government will take necessary initiatives immediately to fulfill the demands related to the rights, welfare, perks and benefits of doctors as per the understanding reached between the government and Nepal Medical Association.
7. Effect policy changes to ensure that the CTEVT grants permissions to technical schools only after considering the geography, population and necessity and ensuring that the schools have met all infrastructural requirements.
8. Add one member to the high-level monitoring committee that is mandated to monitor the status of implementation of the past and present agreements.
9. This agreement will be approved by the cabinet meeting to be held on October 23, 2017 and the government will own the agreement.