Enrollment process for fresh batch of students at several medical colleges has been halted after the Ministry of Health and Population interfered in Nepal Medical Council’s decision of allocating additional MBBS seats for the next academic session.

The MoHP directed NMC, the only medical education regulatory body, to instruct all the medical colleges in the country not to proceed with fresh enrollment of students for MBBS and BDS courses. “The Ministry in its letter issued on Thursday has told the NMC not to implement its decision of allocating additional seats for MBBS until further notice,” a NMC member said.

NMC had stayed put in number of BDS seats but revised MBBS seats for different medical colleges last week. “The ministry halted admission process after receiving complaints against NMC over its alleged irregularities in allocation of MBBS quotas,” an official at the ministry said.

Earlier, boards of the Institute of Medicine and NMC had jointly fixed MBBS and BDS seats for Tribhuvan University affiliated colleges after monitoring all medical colleges. However, NMC increased MBBS intake of Nepali Sena Swasthya Bigyan Sansthan run by the Nepali Army at Sano Bharyang, Kathmandu from 100 to 150 seats and Lalitpur-based KIST Medical College from 75 to 135 students for new academic session.

Similarly, Bhairahawa-based Universal College of Medical Sciences was given 135 seats slashing its earlier intake of 150 students while Chitwan Medical Colleges was allocated 140 seats, 10 seats lower than previous session. However, 70 seats alloted to Pokhara-based Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital & Research Pvt Ltd was not altered.

“We have not received official letter from NMC regarding the matter yet. Once we receive the letter, we will move forward accordingly,” informed Dr Rishikesh Narayan Shrestha, Director, KIST Medical College.

There are 18 medical colleges across the country offering MBBS and BDS courses.

source: the himalayan times,20 sept 2014