Lawmaker Gagan Thapa has apologised for his remarks on female students pursuing medicine in Bangladesh. He said he had no intention of hurting students.
“Students who pursued medicine in different foreign medical colleges couldn’t pass the examination conducted by Nepal Medical Council,” he said, adding that out of 144 medical graduates who studied in Bangladesh, only 19 passed the NMC licensing examination.
In the same way, out of 292 medical graduates from China, 271 failed the NMC test.
“Even graduates from private colleges in the country fare no different,” said Thapa and added that 15 students out of 17 from Lumbini Medical College, Palpa, failed in NMC’s licensing test. Thapa also stated that 24 students out of 30 from Noble Medical College, Biratnagar, failed the test.
Lawmaker Thapa took to facebook to apologise to students after Nepalese Medical Students Association, Bangladesh, yesterday handed over a memorandum to Minister of Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel and threatened to launch sit-in protest outside the Embassy of Nepal in Bangladesh.
Thapa, speaking at a rally organised in support of Dr Govinda KC had claimed that90 per cent students went to Bangladesh, Philippines, China to pursue medicine with the guarantee of receiving certificate. He also claimed that MBBS certificate could be bought for Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 in these countries.
Meanwhile, president of Nepalese Medical Students Association, Bangladesh, Nabin Yadav said the government was responsible for forcing Nepali students to study in Bangladesh or elsewhere.
“If medical colleges in Bangladesh aren’t good, why does the government allow Nepali students to study there in the first place?” he questioned. “Education consultancies promise to enrol us in good medical colleges, but they enrol us in colleges which do not meet the criteria. The government is responsible for preventing students from studying in such colleges,” he added.
However, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Hari Lamsal claimed that students themselves selected colleges and the ministry provided ‘no objection letter’ after receiving letter of NMC verifying eligibility of students.
