KATHMANDU: Nepali students, who were brought to Nepal by the government following coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan last year, have staged a protest outside Nepal Medical Council (NMC) in Basbari Tuesday, demanding facilitation of opportunity for internship in the country.
As many as 152 students, who were pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in Chinese universities, gathered in front of NMC as they could not return to China to complete their academic course due to coronavirus restrictions that are still in effect.
Worried about the completion of academic courses and slim chances of their return to China anytime soon, students have demanded that the government allow them to do internships, which is part of their coursework, here in the country.
Students have sent a letter stating their dilemma to the Medical Education Commission (MEC) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) about six months ago, however, the government bodies have yet to address their concerns.
Students have staged demonstrations outside NMC today to draw the attention of the authorities concerned towards their problem.
NMC is a statutory body regulating medical education and registration of doctors in Nepal.
Students who enrolled for MBBS course in 2014 in China were in different phases of their internship last year when the outbreak started. They had to forsake their training amid the COVID-19 spread.
NMC member Dr. Shivaji Poudel acknowledged that the batch of 2015 would also face the same problem. He said the discussion on legal facilitation was being held to resolve the dilemma faced by students.
According to Poudel, NMC is ready to implement the facilitation once it receives a directive from MEC in this regard.
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