KATHMANDU, Feb 8: The Medical Education Probe Commission (MEPC) has recommended to the prime minister to suspend 43 officials on the charge of their involvement in irregularities while issuing affiliation to medical colleges. The 43 officials include those from the Tribhuvan University (TU), Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal Medical Council (NMC) and some experts. 

The MEPC, which was formed in April last year to investigate into controversies related to medical education, submitted its report to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Feb 4 recommending action against 43 officials including TU Vice Chancellor Tirtha Raj Khaniya, TU Rector Sudha Tripathi and TU Registrar Dilli Ram Uprety. Khaniya, Tripathi and Uprety, who were appointed to the posts on the quotas of Nepali Congress, Maoist Center and UML respectively.

The report has recommended that Khaniya, Tripathi, and TU's legal advisor Narayan Khanal be sacked immediately by declaring them ineligible for future employoment.
 
Other officials who, according to the report, should be disqualified for any future employment in government or semi-government bodies include Lok Man Singh Karki, former chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority; former TU VC Hira Bahadur Maharjan; Nil Mani Upadhyaya, former registrar of NMC; Prakash Raj Neupane, former chief of Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital; Dr Chin Bahadur (CB) Pun, former director at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur; Dr BB (Bal Bhadra) Das, former vice chancellor of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan.
 
Likewise, officials recommended for disqualification for employment in government and semi-government bodies for five years are Dr Damodar Prasad Gajurel, former chairman of NMC; Prof Bharat Jha; Prof Dr Govinda Prasad Sharma; Prof Dr Trilokpati Thapa; Prof Dr KB Raut; Dr Manohar Prasad Gupta; Chandra Lal Shrestha; Hirendra Man Amatya; Dr CD Chawala of KU; Prof Shyam Sundar Malla of KU; Prof Dr Panna Thapa of KU; Prof Dr Ramesh Prasad Singh; Dr Jagadish Chautat of KU; Prashyumna Shrestha of KU; Dr Ramesh Kumar Adhikari; Dr Rohit Shrestha, and Dr Ojaswi Nepal.

Similarly, those recommended for disqualification for employment for three years include Prof Dr Karbir Nath Yogi, Prof Dr Jyoti Sharma, former IOM dean Prof Dr Keshav Prasad Singh, Prof Dr Pramod Kumar Shrestha, Prof Dr Parashu Ram Mishra, and Prof Dr Ram Prasad Uprety.

Those recommended for disqualification for employment for two years include Pralhad Pant of TU, Dr Anil Jha, former NMC vice-chairman Dr Sashi Sharma, and Dr Saroj Shrestha.

Those recommended for sacking include Tara Prasad Sapkota, dean of Faculty of Law, TU; Ram Prasad Khatiwada, dean of Faculty of Science, TU; Rajendra Paudel, member of TU executive Council; and Hari Parajuli.

The report has recommended that KU VC Dr Ramkantha Makaju and NMC member Dr Ankur Shah should be issued with warnings.
 
The MEPC had Gauri Bahadur Karki, former chairman of Special Court as coordinator and the members included Dr Upendra Devkota and Surya Prasad Gautam, joint-secretary of the Ministry of Education.

After receiving the report, Prime Minister Deuba handed over the report to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha instructing him to do the needful.

 
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