Nepal's Medical Education Faces Challenges in Access, Quality, and Policy

Health is the foundation of any nation's prosperity. Without healthy citizens, economic development, social transformation, and sustainable prosperity cannot be envisioned. Modern hospitals, state-of-the-art equipment, or new technology alone are not sufficient to provide quality health services to citizens. For that, the adequate production of skilled doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical lab technologists, radiographers, and other health workers is indispensable. The main basis for producing such manpower is medical education.

Therefore, the debate over access, quality, and policy arrangements for medical education has become a national debate today. Nepal's constitution has established health as a fundamental right of citizens. The objective of the Medical Education Act, 2075, and the Medical Education Commission is to promote quality medical education, equal access, and the production of skilled health manpower. However, in practice, due to limited seats, high fees, complexity in affiliation processes, and Kathmandu-centric opportunities, medical education has not yet become equally accessible to all.