I'm in community as a part of my study.The net here is really poor. I will not be updating my blog for comming some 6 months or so. I am sorry for this. And I am sure I will have intresting stories and experiences to share here once I finish this posting.
Thank you...

Talking about LOVE

Photo: Google

“She called me just to inform that other boy in the class dropped her home.” This was how he started the talk. 

“Things are not going as I want them to. Yet I still will to talk to her, request her and save the relationship.” He continued. Then he stopped talking there.

I could understand what was happening. I have never felt it easy to talk about love with elders or seniors. It was not easy for him too. That evening expecting genuine suggestions, he was coming up with his feelings with difficulty. I wanted to kill the silence that came and also wanted to respond at his plan which I was not satisfied with.

“Once she (who ever his girlfriend was) has explained stepping back from relationship she must have well planned and will definitely do. No matter how you request or how creatively you explain, she will eventually do what she has to do. No matter how much you love her, it won’t make any difference. You would rather quit the plan of talking to ask for saving the relationship. It won’t work at all. You will just be hampering your self-respect.” I explained. “The most you can do is show her a perspective, show her what she can’t see. Just make her see the light at the end of dark tunnel, make her see silver lining in the edge of dark cloud, but let her decide and do by herself. Don’t request.” I added.

After a pause, he said that he agrees with me but can’t help himself.

And then he started his small love story:

After Intermediate, I started classes in new institute for MBBS entrance preparation. I had not thought I will be in such friend circle this early. I find all four of my friends dependable and trust worthy. I am happy to be a part of this friend circle. Few girls too became close to our circle. They are around six in number. One of the beauty among them whom I had crush on the first sight was special for me. Her name was Neelam (name changed). She even belonged to my caste. Things were going cool. I was enjoying my classes. I labored hard in hostel so that I could answer the questions by faculties and solve the numericals earliest in class. My hidden agenda was to get her impressed. After a few days, the girls threw a nice party on the occasion of birthday of one of them. That day we talked, sang, danced and enjoyed as much as we could. Neelam was not so good at dancing exactly like me. She was not dressed in modern manner thus was looking exactly the way I like: simple and beautiful. There were many other things or say I willingly figured many other things that made me think that she was a perfect match for me.

After a week, it was the birthday of another girl among them. We knew it was her birthday only after she distributed chocolate in break-time, thus no party was arranged. After the classes ended at 5 pm, we bought a birthday cake. All the boys of our circle except me stay in a rented flat. We planned to organize the cake-cutting ceremony in their flat and all of us went there. It was already 6 pm by then. Since it was getting darker, it was sure that we won’t have much time for the celebration. So we decided to stay there whole night and celebrate. Much to my shock and surprise the girls too wanted to stay and enjoy the party. The girls staying in hostel had no difficulty at all but Neelam and one other girl stayed with family thus they were returning. Interestingly the desire of our heart and brain mostly vary. From my heart and feelings I was sad to know that Neelam was going home, but from brain and my arguments I was satisfied to her decision. I can’t imagine my sister or family members staying out at night for party with friends, with boys too. I have same respect for Neelam as well. But these girls couldn’t stand on their decision. Neelam suggested talking to their family to ask for permission to stay for the party. Birthday girl phoned the family of both of them and got the permission to keep them for her birthday party. I was happy that Neelam was being with me but internally not satisfied to her decision. She should have returned home.

We brought the groceries for the party and started cooking. The girls were habituated to use knife and chopping board. Neelam alone could use our traditional chulesi. Again my brain automatically started searching for evidences that would convince myself that Neelam was perfect match for me. She could fit the best in my family as my better half. My brain went on having crazy conversations with myself. Everything was being fun. The cookery, cake cutting, dinner, we enjoyed all. It finished at around 11 pm. Then we started playing a game: Truth or Dare. Turn by turn, all of us had to explain about our past, love life etc. During the game, I knew that Neelam and I were only members in group who didn’t had any relationship yet. I had some crushes in school and collage but I lied. I think Neelam too did same. Yet I was happy. The girls and boys shared some romantic times of their life. I enjoyed all the stories. During school, when we even didn’t talked to girls of our class, guys and girls of my age in Kathmandu were having romantic relationship! Amazing!! Most of the girls shared that they had their boyfriend in India pursuing their bachelor degree. But their actions were well explaining that they needed a new one, probably among us. During the game, a girl even said that if she propose someone, that one would be me. I blushed yet pretended as if I was normal. During my turn I also shamelessly said that Neelam was special for me. Internally I felt good saying that. Neelam didn’t respond. After all it is brain of eighteen years old male, my eyes do were occasionally going towards the girl as well who said she may propose me and no one else. After the game she was in the mood of flirting even more.

She said that my hairs were looking dry and offered if I wanted her to apply hair oil on it.

Could there be anything more enjoying? I agreed in no time without even thinking what would Neelam think. She was rubbing her hands in my head and I was enjoying like never before.

Now Neelam couldn’t resist. She asked if I would like her as well to massage my head. Obviously I agreed. Did she get jealous? Does she think I belong to her and no one else? I questioned myself and became overjoyed.

Now the hand massaging my hairs were replaced by Neelam’s. I felt like being in heaven. I could feel that she loved me too. She didn’t say it, probably she wanted me to sense it. I could feel how amazing it is to be in love, especially when the other person loves you back. My happiness knew no bound.

“Would you like to massage mine hairs too?” She further asked.

We were hurrying and lust was slowly overriding the emotions. My heart knew this but my brain couldn’t stop me.

“Do you think I don’t?” I replied.

So now it was my turn. I went on and on and on massaging her hairs. Everything happening was offered by Neelam herself. It is truly said that when someone wants you in their life, they’ll themselves make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for it. I was enjoying the romantic time. It went on more than two hours. Till then other friends had left us alone there. Some were in the terrace, others were sleeping uncomfortably in another room. The room we were sitting was large one. Yet they decided not disturbing us. I didn’t cared at all for all these. Now drama had to start. Massage of hairs ended. Neelam sat just beside me such that her thigh, body, shoulder all touched mine. I liked it but conversation didn’t go as I had expected. She started talking about her previous boyfriend which was the last topic in this earth that I would like to hear. She declared that even after he broke up, she was not ever going to forget him. A bullet in my chest was more preferable than any of her words. She kept her head in my lap and wept. I comforted her by changing my position. Though she was crying for losing her previous boyfriend, she was hugging me. Her head was in my chest, thighs in my lap and our hands were around each other. This was my first experience for such intimacy. I was aroused and I had goose bumps in my body, yet I was in control because of her tears. Slowly she pulled my hands and our fingers were gripping each other’s. Such a position, around midnight and no one else in the room, possibly it was call for sexual relation but I didn’t want it to happen then. It would have been too early. If I had not been loving her truly from the bottom of my heart or if there was someone else in place of me, one would have easily lost his control. I do wanted to kiss her but I couldn’t dare. After all this was my first experience and I was nervous like never before. This stayed for more than an hour. She got asleep in my lap and I was just looking at her.

It was around 4 am when she suddenly woke up. She said she was going and went to other room where other girls were sleeping. I slept right there. After a few minutes, a friend of mine came and said that Neelam was calling me in the terrace. Her name was enough to wake me up. I went. She was alone there. Cold breeze was blowing. She seemed to be shivering so I gave her my jacket. Now the drama queen started her show. She talked about her family, her previous boyfriend. She came up with many meaningless arguments to prove that she can’t come in relationship with me. I kept silent. “If she had not to come in relationship, what was she doing the whole night?” I thought but didn’t say anything at all. I felt like crying but couldn’t. She continued talking till the morning. I was hurt, I was listening, and I had nothing to say. I know she is comfortably doing all this because she have plenty of other options. She do can find a guy better than me, smarter than me, richer than me but she doesn’t know that she can’t find a guy who would love her more than me. No one can love her like I do. In the morning I dropped her home and came back to hostel and slept, obviously being sad and depressed. She is a liar, a cheat, a play girl, a heartless person. I repeated this thousand times to myself.

“I don’t know what to do. Once I will talk to her, request her and save the relationship.” He declared.

No matter how angry we get, we always end up forgiving the people we love. He too had did same.

“I don’t know what to do.” He repeated.

He ended.

I took a pause. First of all, I asked what he felt right now. I wanted to make sure he was not taking any bad decisions. Some teenage may think of suicide or decide to quit study after such incidents. Some opt to become an alcoholic, thinking that the only way to get rid of an unpleasant feeling is to replace it with another unpleasant feeling. Thankfully he didn’t had any of such plans. He do was depressed. Feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness might have come. This might have made him think that he is incomplete, he lack something. I can understand the pain because of giving permanent feeling to a temporary person. I cautioned him that staying attached to her or having a hope was going to depress him even more. I suggested to be in gap with her. He had to start it the same day because there is no better time than right now for anything good. And also let not these things to hamper his study, this was a critical time of his life. I hope he understood. He had to accept the fact that love is not always reciprocated. When breakup comes the one who has to move simply leaves, the other one is alone to suffer, to get hurt. This is same in every breakup. Now, love has become pretty much cheap and well-to-do. To come in a relationship, to break up, to swap the partner you don’t need to invest even a month. Things are easy. I agree it’s not true for many, but they are the exceptions. Society is run not by exceptions but by what generally happens. You do have to accept the fact.

Further I told him a story about love problems that I had read recently.

Ram falls in love with Sita but Sita doesn’t love Ram. So Ram is in trouble.

Slowly Ram succeeds to attract Sita towards him but she already have a boyfriend; Hari. So Sita is in trouble now.

Finally she dumps Hari over Ram. Now Hari is in trouble.

Hari tries to get Sita back. He makes her feel, after all this was the boy she loved. Ram and Sita both gets in trouble.

Hari discovers Sita was in parallel relation with him and Ram before breakup. Hari is hurt and is in trouble.

This in normal love story and love problems that people have in this age. You are in the place of Ram, Sita and Hari of above story in different times of your love too. This is common and happens with almost everyone.

Next thing is, you get depressed after breakup or you are hyperactive while you see whom you love, you have faster heartbeat, palpitation etc. These happens due to hormonal rush in your body. It is medically proven that this continues only for six month to one year. That means your depression after break up too is significantly decreased within six months or so and your interest towards your current girlfriend/boyfriend too will significantly decreased within same period of time. Break up makes you depressed, just imagine even if you were not dumped, you yourself would have lost your interest on him/her within a year. This is medically proven based on hormonal study. You can trust me not only because of medical evidences but also because when I talk about depression I talk being based on my personal experience.

Interestingly we only see the results and happenings but fail to understand or think about minor details. She offered to massage his hairs only after she saw someone else doing that. He dropped her home that day and next day she called him just to inform that some other boy in the class had dropped her. These suggests that she doesn’t want a relationship. She is a diva and just willing to have one more admirer or follower. She is just willing to be a center of attraction for many. There are people keeping ‘more than friend’ relationship with more than one. They are proud of that too. I doubt Neelam too was one among them. I explained him the same.

She could have continued a fake relationship which would have hurt him even more in future, Isn’t it? She should be thanked for making it all clear early. She might be herself going through emotional stress because of previous boyfriend whom she still loves. This can’t be an excuse and neither is she allowed to play with someone else’s feelings, yet we shouldn’t forget that she might herself be in the need of help. She needs time to get over her previous relationship. Another important fact is, no matter what intimacy you shared, when she thinks she has done with the relationship then she is done with it. She has all moral and ethical right to depart. I suggested him to let her go also because he too can’t get a true happiness from being in such a relationship. It’s good that she left by herself. It’s better to be alone than being with wrong one. Relationships should be chosen wisely. You need to have a partner who makes you want to change yourself and become a better person every day, not a person who keeps you in doubts. You should get committed preferably after you are known for considerable period of time. Relationship needs time. After all it needs a strong roots to withstand big tree. Loosing trusts, lies, fights, a long distance relationship, not matching goals, etc. are surficial reasons to break relationships. Relations actually break because your roots are not so deep, not because those winds are strong. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. You should fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely. Probably this is not the right time and there is no point in doing anything more. I know to keep relationship going and to make it work- one person always needs to give little more, one person always has to forgive more, one person always have to work harder. Because of this, both person reach to a stage of relationship with a bond for life. Trust me, getting a right person is harder than doing all this. The sacrifices to a wrong person leads you nowhere other than failure and depression. We generally make the mistake of loving the one who leaves and leaving the one who loves. I suggested that it was better to quit that relationship right there instead of requesting her. She is to be left not loved. Even more if she is requested, will she agree? Off course not. If you continue damning the consequences, you will get hurt even more and nothing else. As simple as that.

I am not yet sure what will he do. It’s easy to convince people to walk in right track but it’s almost impossible to make them walk in right track. I told him that he may contact or come to me whenever he feels like needed. If his mood keeps being low, if he keeps being hurt, and if he continues being sad and depressed than we do have psychiatrist to help. I know supporting is not easy task but a continuous process.

I wish him luck for life.

गजल

A Nepali Gazal I wrote after pretty long period of time.

This is satire against some social injustice in our society. It might sound more or less political some where. Please be sure that I am not colored with any political colors. Those are just a voice of innocent victims who cant speak or are not heard.

के बनायौ इस्वर, मान्छेको जात अचम्म छ।
ठुला-सना धनी-गरिब हर बात अचम्म छ।।

माफिया हरुको बिरुद्धमा अन्सन बस्दछ सन्त कोही।
माफियाको ईशारामा चल्ने VCको औकात अचम्म छ।।
 

अधिकारि दम्पती मर्दैछन, हत्यारालाई सजाय दिन ।
अनी हत्यारा सुत्ने 10 लाखको खाट अचम्म छ।।
 

साँढेको जुधाइ बाच्छा को मिचाइ भन्छन।
निमुखा कम्जोरले पाउने सौगात अचम्म छ।।
 

म तुच्छ अरे, मेरो जात सानो अरे।
मन्दिरमा मलाई रोक्ने हात अचम्म छ।।
 

Switch on गर्दा सुरु हुने, off गर्दा बन्द हुने।
सस्तो सजिलो माया, यौवनको मात अचम्म छ।।

Thank You

A picture speaks 1000 words

This photo in the cover page of a novel not only caught my eyes but also made me think unusually more. A girl with some shoulder long hairs in classical forck-surwal like dress is hugging a man slightly taller than her. Their legs are apart balancing themselves. The body touches lovingly. And above, her forehead is just touching his nose. How romantic! The other half of the photo shows the girl is simultaneously catching left hand of other guy with her right one. I automatically start analyzing the psychology of these three and possible content of the novel as well. 

Does the boy, possibly boyfriend have any idea who he is with? What’s going to happen in near future about his relationship? Are there clues in his real life for upcoming disaster that he is ignoring?
And the other boy, is he sure the girl will come to him? And why is she coming? Is he richer, smarter or something else? Even more, is he sure that the girl dumping her current boyfriend for him won’t dump himself too for someone else better than him? Or is he happy to be a time-pass until she wants?
What about the girl herself? What is she thinking with her master piece human brain? Will swapping the boy with his hands around her waist would be easy for her? Moreover, has she got similar previous experience thus pretty confident? Would she like her ex to know she had parallel boyfriend or will try to make him understand that her new affair started only after they broke up?
Even more, what’s the novel about? Is this like a classical Hindi-film story? Two boys, one socially and personally good other morally and ethically bad, some drama in middle, and finally the good one get the girl… Perhaps not! Then is the girl central character of a tragedy story with boyfriends- before the hugged guy as well and also after the other guy in queue? I doubt. This would be a cheap story for a professional writer like “Chetan Bhagat”.

After the series of such questions ran in my mind, I needed to know the answer. And the answer was just there. Thus I opened the novel “Revolution 2020” and started reading and completed it within 10 hours or so. I noticed during the novel that the pictures of temples, rowing boat etc. as well in cover page were closely related to the story.

I remember a famous Nepali quote, that suggest to “visit Gorkha for justice and visit Kashi for education”. This is the story of same place Kashi, Vranasi being the new name of it. It is story of childhood friends who are coming towards relationship. “Did u have your dinner?” a question being asked every night since past 5 years or so is fascinating him nowadays. The character explains that he wanted her to tell her not to hold his hands publicly now. It is fine at twelve but not at seventeen. Even though, he liked it more at seventeen then at twelve. A silent love existed in heart of both. After intermediate, they fight for engineering scholarship entrance. The girl is poor student with no hope. The boy is good student but was not proved to be good enough. He was not selected by some six marks. His best friend was selected. Story twists and the best friend becomes new boyfriend of the girl. This incident changes him drastically and makes him alcohol abuser. He claims that the only way to get rid of an unpleasant feeling is to replace it with other unpleasant feeling. May be he is true up to some extent but not admirable. As a reader I felt pity on his Devdas style. I remember an incident during my posting at department of psychiatry. The resident doctor was counseling a guy being depressed after breakup. He suggested not to forget her but eternally accept as you never even knew her. I wish there was someone in this character’s life as well who would appropriately council him and bring him in right track. I could feel that- continuing to love her as he did or to hate her for what she did, both the way he was going to get hurt, get burned. However, after being failed in entrance, some change comes in his life and he ends up having some political links. He uses it opens an engineering collage and gets unusually rich. The best friend being selected in entrance is economically left behind. Now again the girl twists, and come back to her childhood friend. She asks him to tell her boyfriend, “We decided to get together, but only did so after the break-up” so that he won’t know she had parallel relation with other one for some time.

Do you really want to be a doctor or an engineer by your own eternal interest? This question is of no meaning to a student of lower middle class or middle class family. They just want a profession that could earn them living. Medicine or engineering does that. This is true for many students and professionals who are not from ‘the one percent’ class. I was really touched while going through these claims in the novel.

I wrote about some unfair means used in establishment of medical college in Nepal in my previous article. This boy too, while opening an engineering collage bribes plenty of officials. He uses- Unfair means to get land cleared from court issue. Unfair means to rezone the agricultural land to build collage. Unfair means to register the collage. Unfair means to approve the proposal of collage by University Grants Commission. Unfair means to get building plan approved. Unfair means to lure the members in inspection. Unfair means to get approved from regulatory council. Unfair means to get university affiliation. Unfair means to get number of students increased. Unfair means for publicity to get students. Even more… unfair means to get the pass out students have job, right after collage. The novel introduces honest people who didn’t take money but none of them were honest enough to stop others from taking it. I really find it interesting and close to reality in our context too.

I thank the author for his extensive research for this novel. The mixture of love and corruption makes the novel really good and makes you enjoy reading. The way corruption is shown, it is very strong story in a communist or socialist view. But the way girls are shown, the story can be criticized in feminist view. I doubt if the girls will appreciate such story. Yet I personally find it somehow close to reality in our part of world. The language of novel as well is easy for us, the Asian people. After some dozen of Nepali, this one was my first English novel and I didn’t struggled with its language at all. Over all, this book was good enough and makes you understand some real part of current world. The novel keeps you sad almost throughout the story. The last few pages crush the heart even more. I consider this a “good to read” novel but not a “must read” one. My personal rating for it would be ‘4’ out of ‘5’. 

This would be good for your next vacation...

Shutting down hospitals and Professor Govinda KC

The medical society is in a phase of huge anger now. I would not say it to be in a phase of revolution because things/system is probably not going to change. I wish I am wrong.

An Imagination
Let me share a story with some undercover facts that is widely known and published in media but could hardly be proved.

A businessman is in a search of place to invest. He comes to know that opening a medical college would be good investment. The procedure starts with getting “letter of intent” from ministry of education. It’s hard to get that but not so hard if you are ready to spend around 20-25 millions of rupees. Then he needs to build infrastructures. This would take plenty of time. So he opts to buy a ready-made apartment, obviously which is not suitable to make a medical school or hospital. Then the universities disagree to affiliate stating that colleges already running are more than they can manage. The businessman again spends few more millions of rupees under the table and gets the affiliation. Now, number of students is to be set by the medical council. Let us suppose you want to teach around 100 students per year. For which you need to have a hospital with about 600 or so beds. More than 70% of the beds should be occupied. There are rules for the number of faculties/doctors as well. But his hospital has less then required number of beds. Patients are not there so beds are empty. Numbers of faculties and doctors are not even half of required. He again spends few millions of rupees to the medical council members for less number of beds. Council leaks the date of inspection. He brings the villagers by paying them, for sleeping in hospital beds, to show the bed occupancy to the members of inspection committee. He pays around 100,000 rupees per day and brings faculties/doctors from neighboring country to show the people in inspection. The faculties too come since 1 lakh rupees a day for just being there and doing nothing is too much. In addition they also get a chance to visit a beautiful country.

In this way, the businessman starts medical college investing around 100 to 1000 million of rupees. Is this amount not too much? Probably not. The charge of study is around 3-5 million for the national students. The students from neighboring country who are in majority, pays around 6-7 millions. Students from other international countries pay around 9-10 millions. Since this huge amount is collected every year, the investment of 1000 million in starting is not too much. In addition, the medical college starts PG (Post Graduate) training as well. The charge for PG training is up to 15 million (1.5 Crore). PG trainees are not charged internationally, they are paid instead. But not in this country.

Is the condition same in Nepal? Probably yes. Can’t be sure. But such businessmen do exist here. Our system as well is equally corrupt. 

The current Condition
A medical college operating for more than 10 years is stopped to take any new admission this year because of inadequate infrastructure and other requirements. I wonder, what was the “Nepal Medical Council” doing for this number of years?
Dr. Sasanka Koirala from IOM who is also a leader of Nepali Congress has recently reviled that bribe of 600 millon (60 crore) rupees happened in current dean appointment by the four medical collage in pipeline (Source: Kantipur Dainik, 21 Jan 2014). Probably he is true as well.  

The experts have understood that such system will ruin us. Only rich people could be doctors. The produced doctors probably won’t be technically competent. Thus the service for the common people will get expensive and the quality will be substandard. So this is to be stopped. They are fighting against such sick system. The sequel of this has recently started in Institute of Medicine (IOM), Maharajgunj. A reputed and well respected personality, Prof. Dr. Govinda KC is in “Hunger strike till death” after a doctor with controversial background was made the dean of IOM. Supporting him, all the doctors have stopped working after 6 days of hunger strike since no step is taken yet to address his demands. The professor’s health is degrading. Anything can happen any time. If he dies, this would be a huge loss. This would also be news of our national embarrassment worldwide.

The new dean is accused of corruption during his inspection in some private medical college as a member of Nepal Medical Council. He is arguing that he has not paid even a penny to become the dean. The fact is he needn’t pay to become dean. I guess he could have instead received some amount, in fact huge amount for the agreement of giving affiliation to new medical college in pipeline. Different medias claim that owner of medical college at Birgunj and Biratnagar are ready to pay any amount to get affiliation for their new medical colleges in the capital city.

Today at our hospital: Patan Hospital

Queue of patients in emergency after OPD shut down

Since government has not taken any step yet, Nepal Medical Association has decided to close all the hospital in the country.

A public hospital like ours has huge number of patients. To get the ticket early, people come early in the morning and stay in queue. Today as well, counter opened at regular time, 8 am. People waiting from hours started to buy OPD tickets. After about half an hour, hospital was informed to be closed. The counter was shut down. Most of the people coming to such public hospital are poor and can’t afford the costly private clinics. The cost of lodging and food is also very very expensive in Kathmandu for patients from out of valley. Thus they got furious. Finally patients were seen in emergency. Patient’s queue in emergency seen there is a rare scene.

The point is, would a socially responsible doctor like Govinda KC who goes to remote areas in his own expenses to serve the needy for free, would like the public hospital to be closed? How can one take such a step to support him? I am pretty sure this is wrong decision by Resident Doctors Association, Nepal Medical Association and other stake holders. A doctor takes many oaths like student oath, Hippocratic oath etc during and after his medical school. This step is against all our oaths as well. The punishment of deeds of corrupts medical mafias and TU leadership should not be given to poor patients. We can’t make them innocent victims. The intention is definitely good but we should instead search other ways to pressurize the government and TU officials.

The solution
Changing the dean alone won’t solve the issue. Professor KC has done hunger strike previously as well. The noble issue was temporarily solved and again become same. We know that we need medical colleges, so a full stop to the affiliation would also be wrong decision. The government should make a strict protocol about numbers and places for a medical collage to be established. The policy should be made such that the number of government medical collage should be more than private one in specified time period. We need to learn from the disarray at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (Patan hospital) last year as well. 

In my view, the problem is solely due to the political appointment. The VC of TU, whom we can consider the root cause of current situation at IOM, is appointed by the political party. A Vice Chancellor (VC), rector or Registrar appointed by the political party will be faithful to the political parties and not to the university. The appointment should be based on open competition. A proposal for what they will be doing as a VC, their Vision, goals should be asked to submit for assessment. A team of experts should be appointed to access the proposal and also their hierarchy, background, capability, contribution etc. A public defense by them at the university could also be done etc. this could be a way select a VC.

There can be different models for selection of deserving VC. A team of experts should be created to make one, so that the most deserving person will get the leadership, and not the one selected by politicians.

At the end
we are with you Prof. Govinda.

Prof. Dr. Govinda KC in hunger strike. Photo:Facebook page of Milan Malla

Medical students in community

Today I am talking about need of sending medical students in rural community during their study in medical school.

It was believed in the past that health problems could be solved by advancement in medical technology and by production of smart and competent doctors. It was true few decades ago, when medicine was not this developed. Identification and management of health problems was mostly not easy and sometimes not possible. Now, medicine is very much developed. There is tremendous improvement in technology and knowledge of health issues and disease. We can treat/manage most of the health problems. But still there are people who are dyeing prematurely and untimely in many parts of world due to insignificant and minor problems. The major reason of this is inaccessibility of the medical service. In rural parts of our nation, there is absence of proper health services and qualified health professionals. Even simple and easily manageable health problems are killing people in those areas. The life expectancy of one district of our country is two decades less than other district (Mugu and Kathmandu). Just imagine the disparity… A baby born today will live about 20 years less just because of being born in Mugu, not in Kathmandu. What is its fault for this punishment? If there had been availability of the health services and health professionals, the disparity had not been this large in our country and around the globe. Newly graduated doctors and other health professionals don’t understand there need in those areas thus are concentrated in big cities. This was realized by WHO and medical universities worldwide and they concluded that, medical students should be trained to work in community as a part of medical education which will make them well aware about the ground reality and also make them compassionate enough with desire to contribute in service of rural areas. They can be advocates of disadvantaged and underserved ones and also provide service to these underprivileged people.

Knowing such need in current generation of doctors, many medical universities around the globe have implemented community based curriculum in their medical schools. Our medical school PAHS (Patan Academy of Health Science) as well has opted Community Based Learning and Education (CBLE) as a strategic approach to make its graduates community oriented and to make them advocates of disadvantaged. Such community based educations are experience based learning that gives students an opportunity to understand the problem at the ground level. It enables the graduates to understand ‘social, economic and cultural aspects of people’s life and their relationships with health & disease and problems of the community’ in real life setting. Community Postings make the graduates gain confidence to adjust and efficiently carry out their duties when posted in such a setting. Thus it motivates them to develop an enthusiasm to serve the underprivileged areas of the country. Please don’t forget, taking the students in community for 1 day as a trip or picnic because of mandatory rules of community posting by the affiliating university won’t help at all. I have heard some medical collage do so.

I know going to rural forever is not practical for any health professional. But going there for few years immediately after graduation is achievable. Before he leaves the place for higher education or anything, fresh graduate will take his place. And I am pretty sure, the strategies like CBLE will encourage graduates to work in rural for at least few initial years of their professional life.

Thank you.