Renu Kshetry

Kathmandu, June 26:

With six universities already in the country, Patan Hospital has proposed the setting up of its own university, which, if endorsed, will be the first medical university in the country.

Patan Hospital’s Medical School Steering Committee (MSSC) submitted the proposal titled “Responding to health care needs of Rural Nepal” for setting up Patan hospital as Patan University of Health Services (PUHS) to the University Grants Commission, three months ago.

Patan Hospital’s MSSC, in its draft proposal, has said the hospital is apt for expansion as a Health Science University and Medical School as the clinical teaching resources are already in place at Patan Hospital and other United Mission to Nepal (UMN) hospitals. “Additional educational facilities need to be established on the campus of Patan Hospital.”

“The new health science health university will assist the government in providing medical personnel for areas in greatest need of curative and preventive health-care,” stated the proposal.

The proposal said that UMN strongly supports the development of an appropriate Nepali organisation to run Patan Hospital. A health science university will provide a governance structure for sustaining Patan Hospital. It will also allow educational integration with Tansen and Okhaldhunga hospitals, both of which have expressed support to be involved.

Professor Dr Bidur Upadhaya, chairman of UGC, said a proposal has been received, but it needs indepth study and research for it to be implemented. “Other medical teaching hospitals such as TUTH, BP Koirala Institute of Health Services, National Academy of Health Sciences and Bir Hospital are running in affiliation to either the TU or the health ministry, but no such university for medical sciences had been proposed before,” said Upadhyaya.

Patan Hospital operates under an independent joint board of UMN, the community and Ministry of Health. It provides health-care to over 3,00,000 patients a year, not only locally but also from all 75 districts.