Nepal Medical Council has barred Janakpur-based Janaki Medical College from admitting students in MBBS programme for the new academic session. The latest move from the regulatory authority questions the college’s credibility, putting at stake the future of more than 500 students studying there.
College authority is now in a dilemma, as it has already completed the enrolment process for a few new students. The college was earlier permitted to admit 80 students (including 36 Indian students) annually and has already completed the enrolment process of some Indian students.
“JMC has already enrolled 25 Indian students for the new session after Tribhuvan University opened the admission process in November,” one of the senior directors told this daily. According to him, the college has also collected more than Rs 6 million from them. Eleven more Indian students, who passed the entrance test, have been asking the college administration about the resumption of MBBS classes. “Enrolment of Nepali students is yet to commence, as the NMC delayed the monitoring,” he said, adding that admitted Indian students have been attending orientation classes for a week.
NMC President Dr Damodar Gajurel confirmed that a meeting of the regulatory body on Wednesday decided to bar JMC from admitting new MBBS students. “NMC has taken the decision after studying the probe panel reports, which clearly point to JMC’s failure at maintaining minimum standards to run the medical classes,” the NMC president told this daily. “A letter has already been sent to JMC asking it to abide by the NMC’s latest decision,” he added. According to him, the college can’t admit fresh students on its own and it’s illegal if Indian students were enrolled.
But the director, who requested anonymity, said JMC was yet to receive official instruction from NMC. “JMC board chairman and other directors have already left for the Capital and are consulting the concerned authorities to clear the confusion,” he said, adding, “The team will also ask the NMC to review its decision.”
What will JMC do after getting NMC letter? “The college has no other option but to refund the Indian students,” he answered.
NMC’s decision will put at stake the future of more than 500 students studying there. “Without new enrolment, how can the college be run?” he wondered.
The college administration has been charged with fleecing the students, as it does not meet the requirements of a medical college. Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and NMC teams found that the college had failed to fulfil the basic requirements. Last year the NMC had told JMC to improve its standard and had reduced the number of annual admissions from 100 to 80, Gajurel said.
Ram Janaki Health Foundation Pvt Ltd, run by a former classmate of President Ram Baran Yadav, established JMC after getting affiliation from TU to run medical course in 2003. In its first batch, it enrolled 60 students. After getting permission to admit 80 and 100 students in fourth and fifth batches, respectively, JMC now has more than 500 students in different streams.
The foundation runs a 300-bed hospital and has been providing employment to more than 1,000 people, the director informed.
According to JMC fee structure, a Nepali student has to pay at least Rs 3.5 million spread over several instalments, while an Indian student is charged Rs 3.6 million to complete the four-and-a-half years integrated MBBS course.
Source: The Himalayantimes, News by THT Correspondent Rajan Pokhrel
