The long-awaited dream of medical education in Sudurpashchim Province is becoming a reality with the Shahid Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences in Geta, Kailali, preparing to enroll its first batch of students.

Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel announced on Wednesday that MBBS classes will commence in the upcoming academic session “at any cost”. Following a university senate meeting held for the first time on-site in Geta, Minister Pokharel emphasised that the institution is a top priority for the government.

"The prime minister has issued directives to ensure no financial constraints hinder progress. The finance ministry remains positive, as health and education are our primary pillars,” said Pokharel.

According to Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Sunil Kumar Joshi, the university has applied to the Medical Education Commission for 140 seats—50 for MBBS, 30 for BSc nursing and 20 each for Medical Lab Technology, BSc Optometry and Public Health. To facilitate clinical practice, the existing 50-bed Geta Hospital will be upgraded to a 300-bed teaching hospital.

The university has already moved to secure academic staff, inviting applications for 26 professors and 51 assistant professors. These roles cover critical specialities including Pathology, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Pharmacology. For the final months of the current fiscal year of 2025-26, a Rs50 million budget has been secured for salaries of doctors and other employees.

A comprehensive budget of Rs2.58 billion has been proposed for the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27. According to Joshi, the formal proposal for the budget has already been moved from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Ministry of Finance for final approval. Outlining the institution’s core mission, he stated that the university is built upon the three pillars of medicine, education, and research. Furthermore, he announced plans to expand the university’s reach by operationalising several satellite health centres within the coming year to bolster regional healthcare access.

Initiated over two decades ago, Geta project faced chronic delays due to legal ambiguity over whether it would function as an academy or a university. With an objective to operate a state-of-art hospital and provide medical education, physical infrastructures have been constructed in Geta at the cost of Rs6.68 billion.

However, the health infrastructure is already falling into disrepair before becoming fully operational. Residents, who have frequently protested delays, expressed cautious optimism about launching MBBS classes.