27 Chait, Kathmandu. Prime Minister Balendra Shah sacked Labor, Employment and Social Security Minister Deepak Kumar Shah on Thursday for conflict of interest.

Shah was removed from the post after it was alleged that he misused his position and made his wife a member of the Health Insurance Board.

He also alerted Minister Nisha Mehta saying that the concerned Ministry of Health did not pay attention while making board members.

While dismissing the minister for the purpose of providing good governance, now the government’s working style is also being praised.

But in the meantime, a decision has come out that is contrary to the law. The government did not care about this.

Prime Minister Walendra Shah is also the chairman of the Medical Education Commission. Contrary to the provisions of the Medical Education Act, Ekta Shah, who was injured in the Genji movement, has decided to give MBBS study opportunity under additional scholarship quota.

Similarly, the co-chairman of the commission, Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel and Health Minister Nisha Mehta, made the decision against the law.

Officials of the commission also admit that the decision is illegal. But none of the members of the commission dared to speak against the decision announced in the meeting.

The party took action after the labor minister acted against his interests. But there is silence about the decisions being made against the law,’ says a member of the commission.

This decision was made on the basis of the recommendations made by the Gauri Bahadur Karki Commission of Inquiry, which was formed to study the Genji Movement last December.

Although the commission was mandated only to investigate the incident, it recommended the government to arrange MBBS studies for the injured Ekta.

The commission had sent a letter to the then Sushila Karki-led government asking them to arrange MBBS studies.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education were informed about the implementation of this letter. Based on this, the Sushila Karki-led government had given instructions to the Commission by making a decision from the Council of Ministers on March 1.

Prime Minister Balen has now decided to implement the same directive through the meeting of the Medical Education Commission.

However, according to the National Medical Education Act, 2075, entrance examination, merit list and fixed seat system are mandatory for MBBS studies. There is no provision in the Act to admit people outside the merit list.

Ekta, who belongs to Sunsari Ghar, was shot in her left knee during the demonstration in Naya Baneshwar, Kathmandu, during the Genji movement on 23 August.

She joined the MBBS entrance exam while still injured. In which 7 thousand 640 names came out with 57.5 percent marks.

To study medical education, one must pass the integrated entrance exam conducted by the commission.

Only after passing the exam will the admission process proceed according to the merit list. The commission decides the seat of the medical college.

This year, 2,635 seats have been fixed for MBBS studies in educational institutions across the country. Admission test, result publication and merit based student selection process has been completed.

However, in the 24th meeting of the commission, a proposal was made to allow Ekta Shah to study MBBS under additional scholarship quota. According to the members of the commission, the proposal was brought to the meeting under the pressure of the Prime Minister.

As Prime Minister Shah was not present in the meeting, Education Minister and Co-Chairman of the Commission Sasmit Pokharel chaired the meeting.

According to one of the members of the commission, the information that the meeting was called by the Prime Minister’s office was sent to the members.

Health Minister Nisha Mehta claims that the decision was presented to the commission based on the decision of the cabinet of the previous government.

However, she has not been able to give a clear answer to the question as to why the commission’s proposal was moved against the law.

Medical Education Reform Campaign Dr. Govind KC says that such a decision will weaken the established merit system in medical education.

Former Vice President of Medical Education Commission Dr. According to Srikrishna Giri, the decision to give special facilities to someone by mixing the law and the established system cannot be accepted.

The rights and arrangements related to medical education are clearly defined by the law. It is the commission’s responsibility to implement it. Decisions should not be made against the law by giving instructions from someone outside the commission, says Dr. Giri.

According to the National Medical Education Act, 2075, only the Commission has the right to determine the number of seats in educational institutions.

Section 17 of the Act states, ‘The Commission shall determine a certain number of seats for universities, institutes and other educational institutions based on the criteria as determined each year.’

Similarly, in sub-section (3) of section 17, it is mentioned that ‘universities, institutes or other educational institutions must admit students selected through the entrance examination according to the matching system’.

After a long struggle to end the past injustices in the field of medical education, the Act was implemented in 2075.

According to experts, if decisions are made under political pressure beyond the law, the achievements of medical education reform may again be in crisis.

“Hundreds of students wait two to four years and try to study on scholarship,” says a member of the commission.

According to that member, the agenda of the 24th meeting was related to the decision of the Council of Ministers. But the subject was not revealed.

Although there is a provision that the agenda of the meeting should be made available to the members at least 24 hours in advance, the member alleged that the decision was brought forward by deliberately hiding the process and violating the said rules.

‘If such an agenda is brought without informing the members of the commission, it is an attempt to make a secret decision,’ says the member, ‘the decision of the council of ministers can never be above the law.

Within the commission, some members said that they are preparing to put a formal disagreement (note of dissent) in the next meeting.

According to another member, the proposal has been approved. ‘Nobody could even say anything. Everyone has signed and approved it,’ says the member, ‘Government should take moral responsibility and step back from this decision after there is opposition from all sides.’

The Medical Education Commission is in a state of vigilance after protests everywhere. Commission Vice President Dr. Anjani Kumar Jha claims that no decision has been taken yet to make Shah, who was injured in the Zenji movement, study MBBS.

He claimed that there has been no formal decision on the matter raised in the last meeting of the commission. Vice President Jha said that the matter was only discussed in the commission meeting and the decision process is still pending.

“The proposal has been discussed, but no decision has been made,” he said. According to him, although the members participating in the meeting have signed their attendance, the decision has not been approved and the process has not been completed.

“Presence is correct, closing is not correct,” said Dr. Jha told Online News.

Jha said that the minutes of the meeting will be prepared and sent to all the members and the decision will be formally closed only after the agreement is reached.

“The minute has not been prepared yet, so it cannot be said that the matter is over,” said Dr. Jha says.