Medical Microbiologists Face Licensing Delays

Kathmandu. The Nepal Health Professionals Council has stated that it will proceed with the process of providing licenses to those who have completed Medical Microbiology studies from Tribhuvan University once the board is fully constituted.

Council Acting Registrar Ravikant Mishra informed that such personnel have requested to obtain licenses.

Acting Registrar Mishra said, 'Discussions are ongoing to untangle the knots in the procedures, acts, and regulations to move forward. Currently, the board is incomplete. Based on international practices, professions related to human health services, and the current context, licenses are provided only for common entrance exams taken by the Medical Education Commission and academic programs of CTEVT. Discussions on other related omitted subjects will be advanced once the board is complete.'

Meanwhile, the council clarified that it has not seen medical microbiologists practicing medicine.

However, microbiologists stated that they have presented examples of excellent work during the Corona period. Due to the delay in the registration process for personnel who have studied this subject, most have migrated abroad. This problem has arisen due to a lack of effective coordination between the teaching and registration bodies. The official registration body is the Nepal Health Professionals Council.

Approximately one hundred microbiologists graduate from TU every year. Students who have completed four-year BSc and MSc Microbiology have been demanding licenses from the state for a long time. A struggle committee has been formed for this subject. Former coordinator of the committee, Naveen Pokharel, stated that it is an injustice to them as they are denied registration despite being allowed to teach. 'We are deprived of participating in advertisements opened by the Public Service Commission. Despite studying, we are not able to work in the same field. TU and 11 other colleges had submitted requests to the Nepal Health Professionals Council to come for inspection, but no action was taken.'

Pokharel recalled that they worked successfully in various hospitals during the Corona pandemic, but the council is still refusing to register them. His demand is that the council should identify them and register them as 'Medical Microbiologists'.

'We are deprived of participating in advertisements opened by the Public Service Commission. Despite studying, we are not able to work in the same field. TU and 11 other colleges had submitted requests to the Nepal Health Professionals Council to come for inspection, but no action was taken.'

Tribhuvan University, Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology, Janakraj Dhungana, also considers this issue serious. He stated that those who studied microbiology at TU are working in this profession abroad. Dhungana said, 'Around 2072 BS, there was an agitation demanding licenses. At that time, the protest was concluded with an agreement to resolve the problem. The issue of providing licenses to those who passed before the establishment of the Medical Education Commission was also raised. However, later, some parties filed a case in the Supreme Court stating that licenses should not be given. That case is currently pending.'

He added that microbiologists are important personnel in the field of disease diagnosis, and they have also drawn the government's attention to this.

'The State Ignored Us'

Although the state mobilized medical microbiologists during the COVID pandemic, victimized students complain that the government is now neglecting them. According to Associate Professor Dhungana, 150 people obtained temporary licenses in 2068 BS after meeting the council's criteria. He added, 'Microbiology has been taught at TU since 1990. We had demanded that these personnel be registered with the Nepal Health Professionals Council. Accordingly, about 150 people met the criteria and received temporary licenses in 2068 BS. However, after the temporary licenses were issued, the process was halted when permanent licenses were demanded. Despite repeated requests from departments under TU for permanent licenses, they could not be implemented.'

Former Head of the Central Department of Microbiology at TU, Prof. Dr. Meghraj Banjara, stated that while the Nepal Health Professionals Council is currently providing licenses to those who studied microbiology from the Institute of Medicine, those who studied the same subject from the Institute of Science and Technology are not receiving licenses.

Banjara said, 'The curriculum (course) is the same for both. However, without licenses, they are not officially considered authorized to sign reports, even though they are working in hospitals.'

He further lamented that although those who studied under the Institute of Science and Technology are equally capable, skilled personnel who graduated and post-graduated from this institute are migrating abroad due to not receiving licenses. Banjara added, 'They are currently doing good work in countries like America, Europe, and Australia. These skilled personnel must be managed within the country by providing licenses or through some other appropriate means.' He also mentioned that students have already worked in hospitals or laboratories under the provision of a six-month internship.

He stated that they introduced a new course in 2073 BS at the council's request and initiated the internship system. 'Previously, medical microbiology was taught in 11 colleges, but now it is limited to only 7. About one hundred students graduate from here every year,' he continued.

It has been 37 years since the Department of Microbiology was established at TU.

Banjara also mentioned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, microbiologists who completed their studies from TU demonstrated excellent performance in technical work, including molecular testing.