Sushil-led Government-56: An Agreement with Dr KC

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Dr Govinda KC broke his fast-unto-death after the government and the Medical council and his representatives reached an agreement on April 2, 2015. The so-called eleven-point agreement has been more for interfering in the businesses of the private companies than achieving the goal of welfare of all. This agreement has been for the gross violation of the fundamental human rights. Dr KC has achieved nothing but opened a wide corridor for the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats to walk freely demanding kickbacks for any decisions they make on the businesses of the private medical college. Dr KC could ask the government for opening a medical college on the top of Mt Everest, and forced the government to do so with his stubborn demands. Would it serve the interest of the nation? Certainly not, Dr KC could find it thinking coolly rather than emotionally.

First, Dr KC invited the cobbler working at the sidewalk workshop just at the entrance of the TU Teaching Hospital Maharajgunj, and drank the juice from his hands. Obviously, he was to show off the world he wanted to end the discrimination against the historically untouchables. That was fine but the question was whether this action of Dr KC would help in dispelling the social evil of untouchables. It would not because the evil had been so deeply rooted in the society and the law enforcement officials had been not only reluctant to enforce the anti-untouchable laws but also did not like it, as most of the law enforcement officials were high above the untouchables. They did not want to dine with the historically untouchables. They did not want to drink or eat anything the untouchables touched. So, Dr KC could have achieved much more tangible thing forcing the law enforcement officials strictly enforcing the anti-untouchable laws rather than the show off.

Dr KC must be very proud of the government suspending issuing affiliations to medical colleges. He might think that it was his one of the greatest achievements. Yes, it was in the entirely negative sense. He must know that every year more than one thousand Nepalese students went out of the country for the medical education, the Medical Council’s data showed. In-country medical education cost about US$ 40,000. If that amount were to spent in the foreign countries then one thousand Nepalese students would be draining the foreign currency in millions precisely forty million dollars a year. Did Dr KC take the account of it; obviously not otherwise he would not force the government to stop the opening of private medical colleges in Nepal. Dr KC also ignored billions of private money invested in the new medical colleges in Nepal. That money spent on infrastructures of medical colleges would go astray. That was certainly a double national loss: loss of the resources invested in building infrastructures for new medical colleges and the loss of having new medical colleges.

The government agreed to meet the Dr KC’s demand for opening one medical college in each development region. Okay that was great, each development region would have one medical college but the question was whether it was economically and socially cost effective proposal or not. Dr KC could open a medical college on the top of Mt Everest (It might be a bit exaggeration) without considering its cost effectiveness and infrastructures, and other facilities required by such colleges. What would be the cost of building a medical college in Humla and Jumla where everything needed to be airlifted? It would almost like cultivating rice in the north or South Pole. You could do it but at what price. If you would do business without considering the cost and benefit then the chances were that you would lose. So, Dr KC must be forcing the government to lose something to meet his ego.

Dr KC saw the irregularities in granting the affiliation to medical colleges by the Universities, and irregularities in other sectors of the health. Preventing the corrupt and irregularities in the public institutions was the duty of all citizens. Rampant corruption had been prevailing in the Nepalese administration and in the national life; everybody knew it. Political leaders deliberately had been encouraging their cadres to indulge in the malpractices. Leaders themselves openly engaged in an unprofessional conduct because they needed money to win the positions in the political leadership, and of course the general elections. Why Dr KC risked his life to put an end to the alleged irregularities in the universities granting the affiliation to medical colleges only. Would it not be logical to risk his life to stop the corruption at all levels? Let us work on that rather than working on a single issue of corruption.

The government also had agreed with Dr KC that the Ministry of Education would offer MD, MS, MDS, DM and MCH courses to the students in the State-run institutions at the State cost effective in the fiscal year 2015/16. Some students would receive master’s degrees in medical sciences at the taxpayers’ money. Would they serve the taxpayers at the discounted rates so that the taxpayer would benefit from the tax money spent on their master-level education? Some students might do so but not all of them would. They would rather charge as much as possible prescribing more tests and more medicines than normally required if the current trend of Nepalese medical professionals’ business were to continue. So, why did Dr KC want to use the taxpayers’ money on benefiting some medical doctors? It was a mystery.

The agreement also has made the provision for reviewing rather suspending the recently granted affiliations by the Kathmandu University. Why Dr KC has so much grudge against the private university. Dr KC was apparently ignorance of the interferences in the business of the private companies was the gross violation of fundamental human rights. The worst human rights violation had been the interference in the businesses of others. If the government were to impede the private businesses would mean not only the violation of fundamental human rights but also obstructing the businesses of others causing the ultimate hindrance to the overall development of the country. Surely, Dr KC’s good intention might have negative effects on the people’s lives. Dr KC would agree that it was not good at all.

Dr KC wanted a scientific fee for the medical education course. What was a scientific fee? Nepal has so many good private medical colleges because the investors have benefited in other words investment in the medical colleges gave a good return. Students have been happy to pay such fees for the medical education in Nepal. The Nepalese standard of the medical courses had been the standard that the world required. Nepalese medical graduates had been working elsewhere in the world. Then, why Dr KC wanted to set a scientific fee. Would such a scientific fee encourage the investors to invest in the medical colleges? The answer was no.

Currently, the seventeen private medical colleges and other private hospitals have been providing unprecedented health services to the Nepalese. Without those medical colleges and private hospitals, Nepalese would have hard time to receive the required health services in the country. Many Nepalese would have needed to seek health services in other countries that would require paying higher prices. What Dr KC wanted setting a scientific fee must be the control over the fees the private medical colleges have been charging the students?

Did Dr KC know what would be the consequences of controlling the medical education fees at the private colleges? The private companies would not survive if the medical colleges could not give the appropriate return on the investment. Then what would happen to the medical colleges? The colleges would be closed, and the buildings would be converted into shopping malls. Was that the Dr KC’s intention?

Dr KC also should know that the so many private medical colleges have been providing a lot of jobs to the Nepalese. These colleges have directly and indirectly contributed to the national socio-economic development. Many young people have job opportunities at those colleges. If new colleges were not to be opened and the existing colleges were to be closed then it would be an economic disaster to the people depending on those colleges for their livelihood. Think about that Dr KC if you were to go on the fast-unto-death strike in the future.

Obviously, Dr KC’s intention had been to have the state control over the private businesses. State control means the unprincipled ministers would have more decision-making power. Bureaucrats also would have more power. Making decisions at different levels of the bureaucracy means taking more time in the business decision. Added up to this delay in moving the businesses, ministers and bureaucrats definitely would want to grease their hands. All these things mean the corruption. Corruption is the cancer that kills everybody and everything. Dr KC knows it very well. Knowing all these things, why Dr KC wanted all those things, common folks needed to know it.

Dr KC said that the mafia had been running the country. Mafia means a group of criminals; that is what any dictionary says. Why he trusted the government of criminals and signed off the agreement with the mafia government. Common folks have rights to know it. The most interesting thing has been the Sushil government has quietly accepted the allegation made by Dr KC. Apparently, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has accepted that a group of criminals has been running his administration. Shame on the voters that gave the mandate to Sushil Koirala and his ministers that were either the mafia or run by the mafia, as Dr KC said.

Eleven-point agreement reached between Dr Govinda KC and the Sushil government

http://www.ratopati.com/2015/04/02/222841.html

Dr KC says, “Mafia has been running this country

http://ratopati.com/2015/03/22/219723.html

April 6, 2015