Nepal Medical Council remained tense today after agitating students, who have completed their MBBS degrees from China, staged a protest demanding that the government let them do internship in hospitals in Nepal. More than 150 students have been looking for internship in Nepal. The agitating students have obtained MBBS degrees from different China-based universities, including Xuzhau University, Weifeng University, Dali University and Ziamuxi University.

Resham Gautam, a protester from the batch of September 2009, said, “NMC decided to open internship on January 22, but it did not. This has put us in difficulty.” Students have blamed NMC authorities for not implementing the decision under pressure from medical mafias. The students point that though they are allowed to do internship in their colleges, they have difficulty in communicating in local languages and prescribing medicines. Gautam added, “We want to do internship in Nepal so that we can pursue our career here. If we are forced to do internship abroad, we will be forced to work there.” NMC took a decision to bar students, who have completed their medical studies abroad, from doing pre-internship in the country’s hospitals on May 8, 2007. On February 5, 2008 the Ministry of Health and Population issued a notice warning hospitals in the country against taking any new MBBS graduates, who have completed MBBS degrees from abroad for pre-internship.

NMC had moved the Supreme Court against the June 2, 2013 appellate court decision that directed the NMC to let 18 students from the Dali University of China do internship in Nepali hospitals. According to clause clause 3 of the 2007 decision, students can be allowed internship in exceptional cases or if they face problems.

source: the himalayan times,4 feb 2014