KATHMANDU: Despite protests from the medical students demanding the payback of extra-than-the determined fee their colleges took from them, most of the colleges are turning their deaf ears to the just calls of the students; rather some colleges including Nepal Army (NA) run medical colleges have started threatening students of the consequences up to the enforced disappearance.

After the continuous protests and complaints from the students, Ministry for Education, Science and Technology has issued a fifteen-day ultimatum for a fee adjustment. It has even threatened to file a case against racketeering provided the ministry’s directives were undermined.

Khabarhub sources have found that Army College collected around 800000 rupees/person extra in the fiscal year 2073/74.

Before the protests against the private medical college are silenced, people are bewildered at the government-run medical college’s involvement in similar cases.

Lately, it is found that the Nepal Army Institute of Health Science, an organization affiliated to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), has been charging the ‘undue’ fee for long.

Nepal Army’s medical college has boldly included the extra fee in its fee structure, it is worth noting that no private medical colleges have dared to display extra fee charged against the government directives.

Khabarhub sources have found that Army College collected around 800000 rupees/person extra in the fiscal year 2073/74.

The government has fixed Rs 3.5 million as the total fee for the students pursuing their study in the affiliated colleges in the valley; when the colleges outside the valley can charge the fee between 3.8 million to 5 million rupees.

Although IOM circulated all medical colleges not to levy any extra amount from students, the Army College’s fee structure shows that the college has collected Rs 782,000 per student extra fee from the students.

Complainant threatened enforced disappearance 

Citing the irregularities and racketeering, the medical students of Nepal Army Institute of Health Science attempted their protests many times.

The government has been preparing to take action against the medical colleges charging extra amount and is said to have given directions to take action against 12 private medical colleges.

Some students of Nepal Army Institute reached to Dr. Govinda K.C. at Institute of Medicine and unfolded the irregularities and racketeering at Nepal Army Institute of Health.

They even met the assistant dean of IOM and narrated everything, but it bore no positive fruits; rather the assistant dean reported the physical appearance of the students to Bachchhu Ram KC, then Director of NAIH, who instead of addressing the problem affirmatively took to threatening the students of failing them in the exam or cause enforced disappearance to them.

Cowed down by the threats the students were forced to sign a ‘commitment’ not to speak against NAIH and apologized for their deed before.

“When they took an undue fee from us, we went to IOM and talked to the Assistant Dean and even Dr. Govinda KC,” sighed a student insisting anonymity and added, “But the Assistant Dean reported everything to Dr. Bachchhu Ram KC, the director of the Institute, who frightened to make us fail in the exam and even threatened of enforced disappearance in case the issue is taken ahead.”

According to the source, army college had forced 30 students of MBBS first year to sign the apology letter.

Now they are in the third year.

According to the sources, the college has levied Rs 300,000 extra from the recently admitted first-year students too.

Thus, frightening the MBBS students of shattering their ‘doctor dreams’, the college administration emotionally blackmailed and tried to quieten the issue.

What does the Medical Education Commission say?

The government has been preparing to take action against the medical colleges charging extra amount and is said to have given directions to take action against 12 private medical colleges.

Hari Lamsal, the spokesperson of the Medical Education Commission, reiterated that the government was committed to enforcing the fee provisions set by the commission.

“We have given written instruction to Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University to give directions to enforce the regulations instantly and adjust or pay the extra fee back to the concerned students,” said Lamsal.

“The Universities have to enforce the directives they get and write to all affiliated colleges to abide by the decisions and agreements made at the central level.” The spokesperson added, “The regulations and directives are mandatory to the medical colleges as well”.

When asked about the extra fee taken by the Army’s medical college, Brigadier General, Bigyan Dev Pandey, the spokesperson of the Nepal Army refused to comment on it.