The Chitwan Medical College (CMC) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct outlines the fundamental principles and standards of conduct expected from all staff, faculty, and students. It serves as a guide for ethical decision-making in patient care, education, research, and professional interactions.

A. Patient-Centered Care

• ➤ Respect for Patients: Upholding the dignity, autonomy, and rights of all patients, regardless of their background, beliefs, or health status.
• ➤ Confidentiality: Protecting patient information and maintaining strict privacy in accordance with legal and ethical standards.
• ➤ Informed Consent: Ensuring patients understand their diagnosis, treatment options, risks, and benefits before making decisions about their care.
• ➤ Compassion and Empathy: Providing care with kindness, understanding, and sensitivity to patients' physical and emotional needs.
• ➤ Quality of Care: Committing to the highest standards of medical care, utilizing evidence-based practices, and continuous improvement.
• ➤ Communication: All communication between a patient and their medical professional is private and confidential. Information may only be shared with healthcare professionals if relevant to the patient's care.
• ➤ Abuse of Trust: A medical professional must not exploit a patient's trust to sell medical products or increase treatment costs. Patients should not be pressured into specific treatments or research participation. Practitioners must not guarantee cures or use “no cure, no cost” contracts

B. Professionalism and Integrity

• ➤ Honesty and Transparency: Being truthful in all professional interactions, including documentation, communication with patients, and reporting of research findings.
• ➤ Accountability: Taking responsibility for one's actions and decisions, and being accountable to patients, colleagues, and the institution.
• ➤ Competence: Maintaining and enhancing professional knowledge and skills through continuous learning and professional development.
• ➤ Professional Boundaries: Establishing and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with patients, students, and colleagues.
• ➤ Professional Sobriety: A medical professionals must strictly refrain from consuming alcohol, smoking, or using intoxicating drugs in the workplace. Under no circumstances should a practitioner attend to patients while under the influence of such substances.
• ➤ Conflict of Interest: Avoiding situations where personal interests could improperly influence professional judgment or actions.

C. Education and Research

• ➤ Ethical Teaching: Providing fair, respectful, and effective education to students and trainees, ensuring they learn ethical principles and professional conduct.
• ➤ Integrity and Honesty: Educators, researchers, and students must conduct teaching, learning, and research with honesty, transparency, and accountability. Plagiarism, falsification, or misrepresentation of data is strictly prohibited.
• ➤ Responsible Research: Conducting research with integrity, adhering to ethical guidelines, protecting the rights and welfare of research participants, and accurately reporting results.
• ➤ Avoid Exploitation: No student, participant, or colleague should be exploited for personal gain, including undue pressure to participate in research or projects.
• ➤ Mentorship: Fostering a supportive learning environment and providing ethical guidance to students and junior colleagues.
• ➤ Professional Development: Faculty and students should engage in continuous learning to maintain and improve competence in teaching, clinical practice, and research.

D. Social & Workplace Environment

• ➤ Respectful Workplace: Promoting a collegial and inclusive environment free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying.
• ➤ Teamwork & Collaboration: Working cooperatively with colleagues and interdisciplinary teams to optimize patient care and achieve institutional goals.
• ➤ Reporting Misconduct: Reporting and addressing unethical or unprofessional behavior without fear of retaliation.
• ➤ Conflict Resolution: Escalate issues through proper institutional channels when necessary.
• ➤ Stewardship of Resources: Utilizing institutional resources responsibly and efficiently.
• ➤ Community Engagement: Serving the health needs of the community and contributing to public health initiatives.
• ➤ Safe Environment: All stakeholders should contribute to a safe, clean, and professional workplace, free from substances that impair judgment, such as alcohol or drugs.
• ➤ Advocacy: Advocating for policies and practices that promote health equity and access to care for all.
• ➤ Social Responsibility: Engage in activities that foster a positive, safe, and healthy social environment in the college.

Purpose: This guideline outlines the roles, responsibilities, and procedures for the Environment and Social Safeguard Unit of Chitwan Medical College to effectively manage environmental and social risks and impacts associated with its operations, projects, and activities.

Scope: This guideline applies to all departments, units, projects, and personnel within CMC, including academic, clinical, administrative, and research functions, as well as any third-party contractors or collaborators.

Policy Statement

• ➤ Chitwan Medical College is fully committed to complying with all relevant national environmental and social laws and international regulations.
• ➤ CMC is committed to proactively identifying, assessing, and avoiding or minimizing potential adverse environmental and social impacts arising from its operations.
• ➤ CMC is focused in providing a safe and healthy working and learning environment for all staff, students, patients, and visitors.
• ➤ CMC is committed to engaging in transparent, inclusive, and meaningful consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
• ➤ An accessible, fair, and effective Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will be maintained to address concerns and complaints from stakeholders in a timely and impartial manner, fostering trust and accountability.

Members of E&S Unit

Hospital: Mr. Parash Adhikari, Mr. Ram Prasad Sharma, Mr. Sameep Poudel, Ms. Tika Kandel, Ms. Manisha Panthi

College: Mr. Arun Koirala, Mr. Biplab Adhikari, Mr. Arjun Sapkota, Ms. Sushmita Ghalan, Ms. Sushmita Pant

Roles and Responsibilities

• ➤ Developing, updating, and implementing E&S policies and guidelines specific to the Medical College context, aligning with national regulations and international best practices.
• ➤ Establishing frameworks for identifying, assessing, and mitigating E&S risks associated with all CMC activities, including clinical services, research, construction, and teaching.
• ➤ Conduct regular environmental audits/inspections.
• ➤ Conducting or overseeing Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for new construction projects, significant renovations, or major equipment installations to identify potential environmental and social impacts.
• ➤ Ensure fair labor practices and compliance with labor laws.
• ➤ Develop interventions based on gender-sensitive risk assessments to address gender- specific health and social risks.
• ➤ Developing and overseeing the implementation of comprehensive medical waste management plans (segregation, collection, storage, treatment, disposal) in accordance with national and international standards.
• ➤ Monitoring and promoting efficient use of resources such as water, energy, and chemicals. And monitoring air and water emissions from hospital operations.
• ➤ Addressing risks related to hazardous materials, radiation, infections, ergonomics, and emergency preparedness.
• ➤ Coordinate with Grievance Handling Committee for affected communities and stakeholders to raise concerns or complaints related to the CMC's E&S performance.
• ➤ Provide capacity building & training for stakeholders on E&S safeguards.

Introduction: To establish a clear policy and procedure for preventing, reporting, and addressing incidents of sexual harassment in the Chitwan Medical College to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all employees, patients, and visitors.

Scope: This applies to all hospital employees, healthcare professionals, patients, visitors, and contractors within the hospital & college premises.

Definition of Sexual Harassment

• ➤ Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
• ➤ Offensive remarks about a person's sex or gender.
• ➤ Unwanted touching, gestures, or displaying of sexually suggestive material.
• ➤ Retaliation against an individual for reporting harassment.

Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee

• ➤ Academic Director
• ➤ Hospital Director
• ➤ Operations Manager
• ➤ Principal
• ➤ Matron
• ➤ Head Gynecologist
• ➤ Counsellor

Roles and Responsibilities

• ➤ Prevent discrimination and sexual harassment in Chitwan Medical College teaching hospital.
• ➤ Create and communicate detailed policy on Anti-Sexual Harassment.
• ➤ Assist the aggrieved person to place the complaint.
• ➤ Deal with cases of discrimination and sexual harassment against employee, patient, visitor, and student, in a time-bound manner, ensuring support services to the victimized and termination of harassment.
• ➤ Ensure committee members are trained in skills and capacity to handle problems related to harassment.
• ➤ Recommend appropriate punitive action against the guilty party.

Frequency of Meeting: Whenever required.

Tenure: One year from the date of constitution.

Minutes of Meeting: Minutes are to be developed for each committee meeting & sent to management.

Reporting Procedure & Investigation

• ➤ Affected individuals should report incidents related to sexual harassment by filling grievance reporting form and submitting it to the Grievance Handling Committee. The form is available at the administration reception desk of college and hospital.
• ➤ Grievance Handling Committee will investigate as per the SOP of Grievance Handling Mechanism.
• ➤ If the issue is related to sexual harassment, the case will be referred to the Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee.
• ➤ Reports will be documented, and the complainant will receive acknowledgment of receipt.
• ➤ Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the process.
• ➤ The Committee will conduct a prompt and impartial investigation.
• ➤ Both the complainant and the accused will be given an opportunity to provide their statements.
• ➤ A report will be submitted with findings and recommendations.
• ➤ If the resolution of the Committee is unsatisfactory to the complainant, an appeal may be filed to the Chitwan Medical College BOD within five (5) business days (excluding holidays) of when the grievance resolution was sent.

Disciplinary Action

• ➤ Based on findings, appropriate actions may include warnings, suspension, termination, or legal action.
• ➤ Disciplinary action will be taken based on the severity of the incident.

Support and Counseling

• ➤ Psychological support and counseling services will be made available to victims.
• ➤ Chitwan Medical College management, the Grievance Handling Committee, and the Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee will take steps to protect complainants from retaliation.

Prohibited Behavior

• ➤ Making sexual comments, jokes, or gestures in clinical, academic, or workplace settings.
• ➤ Requesting or offering sexual favors in exchange for grades, promotions, or medical care.
• ➤ Unwelcome touching, physical advances, or suggestive behavior.
• ➤ Use of electronic communication (texts, social media, email) for harassment or sexual exploitation.
• ➤ Taking advantage of patients, especially vulnerable groups (e.g., women, children, elderly, mentally/physically disabled patients).
• ➤ Retaliating against individuals who raise complaints.

Review and Compliance

• ➤ This guideline will be reviewed periodically to ensure effectiveness and compliance with local laws.
• ➤ Employees must acknowledge understanding of this policy upon hiring and during periodic refresher training.
• ➤ Students must acknowledge understanding of this policy during orientation session.