The Nepal Medical Council (NMC) has begun the process to grant post-graduate seats to two government hospitals in Biratnagar and Nepalgunj—a decision that will remain crucial to end the chronic shortage of specialists in government health facilities, especially outside the Capital. 

A team of experts have submitted a report to the council following inspection of the Koshi Zonal Hospital, Biratnagar and Bheri Zonal Hospital, Nepalgunj.  

Both the hospitals will run the post-graduate programmes as an extension of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Bir Hospital. Post-graduate courses, including general medicine, orthopaedics, gynaecology, paediatrics, anaesthesiologist, radiologist and pathologist, will be run in the first phase.

“The inspection has been already completed. We are reviewing the report,” said NMC Registrar Dr Dilip Sharma. But he refused to share information on the number of seats the two hospitals would be allotted. 

Dr Dinesh Banstola, a member of the inspection team, said they have pointed out the shortage of faculty members and facilities available for the PG students in the report. NAMS is planning to recruit a fresh batch of students for the PG courses by the last week of August for the next academic session.

The Health Ministry had instructed NAMS to begin the courses in big government hospitals outside Kathmandu Valley after multiple reports suggested the shortage of specialists. 

One of the reports prepared under the chairmanship of Dr Chop Lal Bhusal, former chairman of the Nepal Health Research Council, had identified five clusters where the MD/MS programmes can be run in government hospitals outside the Valley. 

Mechi Zonal Hospital of Jhapa; Koshi Zonal Hospital of Morang and Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital of Saptari in the Eastern Region are clubbed in Cluster 1. Bharatpur Hospital of Chitwan; Hetauda Hospital of Makwanpur and Lumbini Zonal Hospital of Rupandehi in Cluster 2. Bheri Zonal Hospital of Banke; Midwestern Regional Hospital of Surkhet and Bardiya District Hospital are in Cluster 3. 

Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences and Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital of Baglung are placed in Cluster 4 and Mahakali Zonal Hospital of Kanchanpur and Seti Zonal Hospital of Dhangadi and Sub-Regional Hospital of Dadeldhura in Cluster 5.

NAMS Vice Chancellor Dr Ganesh Gurung said that the students who will be enrolled for the PG courses must take up an assignment in rural districts for a few years. “A formal bond should be signed to this end,” said Dr Gurung. 

At present, only around 300 specialist doctors are working with the Health Ministry.