Discussion held to increase foreign student enrollment in medical colleges

KATHMANDU: The 17th meeting of the Medical Education Commission, chaired by Prime Minister and Commission Chair KP Sharma Oli, discussed increasing the quota for foreign students in private medical colleges.

The meeting, held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar, considered a proposal to increase the number of foreign students to facilitate the implementation of the Commission’s earlier decision.

The previous decision required private medical colleges to provide residential doctors with an allowance equivalent to that of government medical professionals.

A final decision on this proposal will be made in an upcoming meeting. Currently, private medical colleges in Nepal are allowed to enroll up to 10% foreign students.

In the 16th meeting of the Commission, held on Feb 7, the government addressed the demands of protesting residential doctors, deciding that private medical colleges must provide them with a monthly allowance of Rs 48,436, equivalent to the salary of an eighth-level government employee.

The Commission, responsible for regulating medical education, conducting entrance exams, determining student intake, and setting tuition fees, also decided in today’s meeting to add 209 seats in postgraduate medical programs.

Additionally, the meeting approved a report on expanding nursing education and discussed criteria for merging educational institutions and programs.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Oli emphasized that the government cannot provide free education to all students and stressed the need for collaboration with private institutions.

He called for further study on the issues raised and urged the Commission to propose concrete measures to strengthen nursing education and improve the benefits and services for nurses.