A commitment to transform Nepal's healthcare through professional, participative, serving, and transparent leadership.
Nepalese doctors today are not only fighting disease, but also struggling against a sick healthcare system. Political interference has made appointments unfair rather than merit-based. Doctors' salaries are extremely low. Labor rights remain unclear. Legal risks are borne individually by doctors. Rural service involves hardship and risk, yet offers no incentives. In such circumstances, the NMA has failed to truly become an institution for all doctors. This has led to frustration, physician migration, and a decline in the quality of healthcare.
Now, the Nepali medical sector urgently needs a major transformation—and we are ready for it. Our agenda is clear. The NMA will be freed from political interference. Equal voting rights for all doctors will be ensured, with transparent decision-making through app-based balloting. Through a Doctors' Act, fair salaries and benefits, labor rights, insurance, and legal protection will be guaranteed. NMA membership will no longer be limited to a card and a journal. Employment support, free legal services, digital platforms, research, training, mental health support, and international opportunities will become core services of the NMA. Merit-based appointments, removal of barriers in medical education, strict control of quackery, and unconditional policy reforms for the safety of health workers will be implemented.
We will not be limited to issuing statements and initiatives. This is not just a manifesto—it is a commitment to transform the system.
The NMA must no longer be controlled by a few; it must belong to every doctor. We commit to equal voting rights for all physicians, transparent online voting and balloting, and guaranteed representation of resident and early-career doctors. Upon election, from the very first Executive Committee meeting, we will move—through the Council—to amend the regulations to decisively democratize the NMA as follows:
This is not cosmetic reform. This is a decisive shift of power—from closed rooms to the collective will of Nepal's doctors.
Doctors cannot be expected to carry the health system on their shoulders while remaining legally unprotected, underpaid, and socially insecure. We will forcefully demand that the Government of Nepal enact a comprehensive Doctors' Act for all physicians registered with the Nepal Medical Council, fully incorporating the economic and social protections recommended by the Dr. Tanka Barakoti Report—benefits the State is duty-bound to provide. We will pursue this both inside Parliament and outside it. If needed, we are prepared to take every legitimate step required to make this law a reality.
This Act will stand as a doctor-specific legal framework, parallel to the Labour Act—clearly defining rights, responsibilities, security, and dignity in medical practice.
💰 Economic Security
💼 Fair Pay & Allowances
⚖️ Labour Rights
🛡️ Social Security
📚 Professional Growth
⚔️ Legal Protection
Today, NMA membership offers only two formal benefits under its statute: the Journal of NMA, and access to NMA guest houses and participation in conferences and trainings.
This is grossly insufficient for a modern professional body. We will fundamentally expand NMA services—turning membership into a daily source of professional, legal, and personal support for every doctor.
Digital NMA
Build a single, integrated digital platform covering all NMA services, membership applications, renewals, communications, and service delivery.
NMA Job Connect
Launch the NMA Job Connect App to actively support doctors in job searching, placement, and career mobility across Nepal.
Legal Aid
Establish a dedicated Legal Aid Unit to provide doctors with free legal consultation and guidance.
Provincial Journals
Publish the Journal of Koshi Provincial NMA (BPKIHS branch) and Rural Health Journal (KAHS branch).
Decentralized Research & Grant Training
Conduct research and grant-writing trainings at the provincial level.
Research & Career Mentorship
Run structured mentorship programs in coordination with active professional medical associations.
Global Opportunities
Form an International Coordination Committee within NMA and launch Fellowship programs with medical associations worldwide.
Safe Medical Practice
Develop Patient Safety Guidelines and national protocols on Informed Consent, Documentation, and Communication.
Physician Wellbeing
Launch comprehensive wellbeing and mental health programs.
Modernized NMA Guest Houses
Upgrade NMA guest houses and introduce airport pickup/drop services for doctors.
Existing laws in Nepal are actively restricting doctors' education, research, clinical practice, and professional growth. These barriers are weakening the entire health system. We have identified the following non-negotiable policy reforms, and we will pursue them with absolute resolve:
Merit-Based Appointments
Enforce non-political, competitive recruitment in all public health institutions.
Zero Tolerance for Quackery
Establish a dedicated Anti-Quackery Unit within the Ministry of Health.
Unblock Postgraduate Entry
Repeal Section 16(6) of the Medical Education Act.
End Unjust Scholarship Bond Restrictions
Repeal Rule 22(5) of the Medical Education Regulations.
Fair Medical Justice
Mandate Consumer Courts adopt the Medical Jury system.
Protect Academic Training of Government Doctors
Amend the Health Services Act to recognize postgraduate clinical training.
Rationalize Private Practice Rules
Repeal the 2072 scholarship bond guideline.
Unlock Career Progression
Introduce group-based promotion pathways for MD/MS doctors.
Zero Tolerance for Violence in Healthcare
Complete pending legal amendments to enforce a Zero-Tolerance Policy.
To ensure continuous, evidence-based advocacy on issues related to the medical profession, medical education, and the safety and rights of doctors and health workers, the NMA will establish five permanent Research and Advocacy Units, led by experienced and respected physicians.
These units will conduct rigorous research, generate policy evidence, and lead sustained national campaigns in their respective domains—ensuring that NMA advocacy is informed, strategic, and impossible to ignore.
To be determined on regular basis
