Nepal Medical Council is going to arrange that the students who passed MBBS but failed the license (registration certificate) examination will not need a license so they will not practice medicine in the future. Despite completing MBBS after six years, students (doctors) often fail the 'license' examination for the medical profession.
Presently MBBS students cannot pursue further studies in any other subject without clearing the license examination. As a result, their lives are spent day by day taking the license exam. According to the council, they cannot examine patients. The council is about to open the way for doctors who have passed MBBS and BDS to take up professions other than examining patients.
President of Nepal Medical Council, Prof. Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, said that the current system of compulsory licensing examination is being sought for students who have passed MBBS even while studying other subjects. He said that they have obtained the degree because they have passed the MBBS and they will not be allowed to examine patients if they have not passed the license examination. "Had I passed the license, I would have been able to do clinical practice," said Dr. Koirala, "Many times, MBBS is about to be recognized as a degree for students who have failed the license exam."
"They will not be able to go to the hospital and check patients but after passing MBBS, they have obtained a degree," he said. Dr. Koilala added, "For those who fail the license, they will not stop studying in public health, management, education, etc."
As per the current system, those who have passed MBBS cannot study in other faculties until they pass the licensing examination. Because a student (doctor) who has failed the licensure exam 12 times cannot examine patients; He/she is going to be recognized with the degree if he/she passes MBBS.
Dr Krishna Prasad Adhikari, registrar of Nepal Medical Council, said that after the doctors failed many times, they are going to make arrangements so that they are qualified in other professions other than examining patients. He mentioned that coordination with universities, medical colleges etc. is being done for students who have failed the medical council's license examination.
At present, if a doctor who has passed MBBS wants to study any other subject, he must have passed the licensing examination of the Medical Council. Even if they pass MBBS and fail the license examination, there is no provision to study any other subject. Dr. Adhikari said that in other countries there is a system that allows MBBS doctors to adopt other professions in case they are unable to examine patients and said that there is a problem in Nepal due to lack of such system. "In Nepal, as soon as you call yourself a doctor, you are looked at differently.
It is not known whether it can examine the patient or not," said Dr. Adhikari, "Not only by studying doctor, but if the patient is not qualified for examination, there is no point in studying doctor."
There are many MBBS students in Nepal who have failed the license exam 30-35 times. He said that he is going to make arrangements for doctors who fail the examination repeatedly to study in other departments if they want. Dr. Adhikari said that the medical college plays a major role in the failure of students who regularly pass in MBBS but fail in the licensure examination. He says that students who cannot read have failed in the license examination due to the flexible thinking of the college that they have spent millions to study and let them pass.
“Students who fail the license examination cannot study further, nor can they get a job. Their degrees are not recognised," said the official, adding, "This has created stress among the failing students and their families."
