Equal allowance for residential doctors in private medical colleges

KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 7: The 16th meeting of the Medical Education Commission, chaired by Prime Minister and Chairman KP Sharma Oli, has decided to provide residential doctors studying in private medical colleges with a subsistence allowance equivalent to that of government doctors (eighth level).

The meeting, held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar, considered discussions with stakeholders and received reports before concluding that residential doctors should receive equal benefits, amounting to NPR 48,700 per month. Further discussions on other related matters will take place in an upcoming commission meeting.

The meeting also addressed the issue of charging students an annual fee of NPR 2.3 million if they refuse to sign a two-year study and work agreement with their respective colleges. Currently, private medical colleges provide a subsistence allowance of NPR 20,000 per month. Since postgraduate students have been protesting for equal benefits—disrupting the commission’s examinations—Prime Minister Oli took the initiative to resolve the issue.

During the meeting, Prof. Dr. Gyanendra Man Singh Karki, President of the Private Medical College Association, requested that decisions be made only after formulating the necessary procedures. However, Prime Minister Oli, along with co-chairpersons Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel and Minister of Education, Science, and Technology Vidya Bhattarai, firmly stated that they could not retract their commitment to ensuring equal benefits for residential doctors.

Additionally, the meeting discussed initiating amendments to the National Medical Education Act, 2075 (2018), as part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to regulate and monitor medical education, oversee entrance examinations, determine student seat allocations in educational institutions, and set tuition fees.