Biratnagar: Irate students have padlocked the administration block of Nobel Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Biratnagar after 61 students were barred from Nepal Medical Council (NMC) licensing examination due to the hospital´s negligence.

After passing the MBBS examinations, a graduate should complete at least six months of internship, which is a precondition to licensing examination of NMC. And the MBBS graduate has to pass the test conducted by NMC to acquire the license to practice medicine in the country.

Though the medical students had filled up their examination forms three weeks ago, the hospital administration did not submit their forms to the NMC on time.
“We had gone to Kathmandu on Saturday to appear for the licensing examination. But upon arriving at the exam center, we found that our names were not in the examinees´ list much to our shock,” said a student who has been barred from the exam following the hospital negligence.

Besides padlocking the administration block on Wednesday, the agitating students also staged a two-hour sit-in in front of the block, demanding compensation. Likewise, they have also urged the NMC to allow them to appear in the licensing examination.

The students have demanded Rs 50,000 monthly compensation to each student with the hospital until the NMC hold their examination and issue the medical license.“We have given a weeklong ultimatum to the hospital management to address our demands. If our demands are ignored, we will launch sterner protests,” said a student, seeking anonymity.

Narayan Dahal, liaison officer at the teaching hospital said, “The student examination forms should have been submitted by June 23 at the NMC. But due to some technical problem, we couldn´t submit the form to the NMC on time.”
He added that the hospital is holding talks with the NMC officers to let these students appear in the examination.

source: republica,7 August 2013