A high-level meeting was held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to discuss the stipend, working hours, and overall quality improvement of intern and resident doctors.
A discussion took place at Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers regarding the living stipend, working hours, professional skills, and quality improvement of medical education for intern and resident doctors.
Stakeholders Gather at Singha Durbar
The meeting was held at Singha Durbar under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, who is health advisor to Prime Minister Balendra Shah. High-level officials from Medical Education Commission, Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene, Ministry of Education and Sports, Kathmandu University, and Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine (IOM) participated in the discussion.
During the meeting, stakeholders focused on reducing mental and physical stress of intern and resident doctors. They also discussed about fully implementing the curriculum and preventing any kind of exploitation against doctors.
Labor Law and Digital Logbook Discussion
Prof. Dr. Agrawal mentioned that medical education is not just a service but also a tough training. Because of this, labor laws do not apply here, and this should be made clear to doctors and stakeholders. He added that increasing professional standards and regular monitoring are also high priorities.
Dr. Agrawal also said that the digital logbook brought by government is a very effective tool to evaluate capacity of doctors. This digital logbook makes it easy to regulating their work and training-related matters.
Salary and Off-Day Policy
The salary and living stipend of interns and resident doctors were also discussed. Dr. Bikash Devkota, who is secretary of Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene, clarified that the salary has been determined based on the curriculum guidelines.
Similarly, Dr. Devendra Bahadur Khatri, the vice-chairman of Medical Education Commission, said that policy rules are necessary to ensure regularity and rest for doctors. He suggested that 90 percent attendance should be compulsory, and doctors must get one day off in a week.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has been regularly holding discussions with stakeholders to bringing reforms in various sectors.
AI Disclaimer: This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. It has been translated with the help of AI. For the best understanding and accurate facts, we recommend reading the original Nepali version.
