Kathmandu — Experts in the field of medicine and medical education have called for the resolution of issues faced by resident doctors and urged an end to their ongoing protests.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the experts emphasized that the intellectual exploitation of doctors can never be accepted under any circumstances. They urged private medical colleges to move beyond making profits and to follow the global practice of giving stipends to postgraduate trainee doctors to end the ongoing crisis.

Prominent academicians, including Kedar Bhakta Mathema, Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, Prof. Dr. Arjun Karki, Prof. Dr. Madan Prasad Upadhyaya, Prof. Dr. Jagadish Prasad Agrawal, and Dr. Gunaraj Lohani, jointly appealed to private colleges to align with international standards by providing stipends to resident doctors.

“It would be prudent for private medical colleges to prioritize the welfare of postgraduate trainee doctors by accepting the global practice of providing living allowances, rather than focusing solely on profit. The intellectual exploitation of trainee doctors cannot be accepted under any circumstances,” the statement reads.

The experts also stressed that the issue of stipends should not be linked to the number of seats or tuition fees.

“The matter of increasing undergraduate seats and fees is separate and should not be tied to the provision of stipends. Quality healthcare services are only possible through quality medical education, a fact well acknowledged. Therefore, we urge all concerned stakeholders to play a positive role in ending the ongoing protest of the doctors,” they stated.

Resident doctors are protesting on the streets, claiming the government has not implemented the promised subsistence allowance. The 16th meeting of the Medical Education Commission had decided that resident doctors at private medical colleges should receive stipends equivalent to that of eighth-level government medical officers. However, private colleges have been resisting this decision.