KNMC denied affiliation; Dr KC files RTI petition at education ministry

Kathmandu / Nov 9: Nepal Medical Council on Wednesday decided not to grant affiliation and allocate seats to Kathmandu National Medical College after the Ministry of Education filed a petition seeking to vacate the Supreme Court’s interim order.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued a stay order against the TU’s decision to scrap the affiliation granted to KNMC. “We will not allocate any seat or grant affiliation to the medical college, as the MoE has filed a petition seeking to vacate the SC’s interim order,” said Dr Dilip Sharma, registrar at NMC.

The Ministry of Education had sent a letter to Nepal Medical Council on November 6 telling it to continue the affiliation given to KNMC and allocate seats as per the NMC regulation 1968 for its MBBS programme.

Dr KC files RTI petition at education ministry
Meanwhile, Dr Govinda KC today filed a right to information petition at the Ministry of Education, demanding information regarding the affiliation granted to Kathmandu National Medical College by the Tribhuvan University.

Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate, Dr Abhishek Raj Singh and Binod Aryal have also signed the petition.

The applicants have demanded a copy of the letter sent by the education ministry to Nepal Medical Council to grant affiliation to KNMC, decision made by the Supreme Court on KNMC, files and documents related to the medical college at the ministry, and the name, designation and responsibilities of officials involved in taking the decision.

Similarly, in another RTI petition registered yesterday at the President’s Office, Dr KC’s team has demanded information regarding the status of medical education ordinance and the cause behind delay in endorsing it. “We have been told that the information will be given on Thursday,” said Dr Singh.

The Cabinet had endorsed the ordinance on medical education on October 23 and had decided to send it to the president for authentication. Dr KC has threatened to launch a fresh hunger strike if the president does not authenticate the ordinance within seven days.

If the ordinance is endorsed, it will put a moratorium on establishing new medical institutions in Kathmandu for the next 10 years.