Govt has initiated efforts to upgrade KAHS: PM

By Netra Shahi,Jumla, Nov. 14: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government has initiated efforts to upgrade the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) Teaching Hospital in Jumla. 

Addressing the first convocation ceremony of the Academy on Wednesday, Prime Minister Oli, who is also the Chancellor of the Academy, expressed his satisfaction with the Academy’s educational progress and health service delivery, which currently serves 13 districts of Karnali Province from Jumla. 

He pledged continued government support for further improvements.

On the occasion, five top students in various fields were honoured with gold medals.

Stating that he was aware of the Academy’s MDGP class since its inception, the Prime Minister emphasised that it reflected both the government’s investment and the institution’s efforts in producing skilled manpower. 

Prime Minister Oli said that the government was paying attention on the Academy’s plan to establish a 100-bed hospital in Rakam, Dailekh, and emphasised that once built, the hospital would provide services to many people in the region.

Prime Minister Oli also expressed his pleasure in being able to confer degrees upon the students of higher education programmes, including the MDGP, which began in 2021.

Prime Minister Oli congratulated and extended his best wishes to the graduating students, commending them for setting new standards of achievement wherever they go.

Given Karnali’s remoteness, particularly beyond Surkhet, the Academy was serving 13 districts in Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces, he said. 

During the convocation, 30 of 58 students of public health, nursing, post-graduate higher education were initiated by Chancellor and Prime Minister Oli.

Speaking at the same event, Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel expressed his satisfaction that the Academy was holding its first convocation after 13 years, and he was pleased to participate in the event.

He expressed his gratitude to the skilled graduates and voiced hope that they would serve in the Karnali region.

He highlighted that a decision had also been made to upgrade the staff of the Academy. 

Christine Massinger, Director of the Harvard Medical School Centre for Primary Care, emphasised the importance of cooperation in the development of the KAHS. 

Dr. Mangal Rawal, Vice Chancellor of the Academy, expressed his gratitude for the government’s support to the KAHS highlighting its importance in creating workplaces in the remote areas.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Oli also inaugurated a newly constructed 7-storey educational building.

The building now houses various administrative functions, including 45 classrooms, the offices of the Vice Chancellor, Principal, Registrar and administration section, lab and library.

KAHS was established in 2011 as per a law approved by the then Interim Parliament established in 2006. 

The initiative committee, coordinated by Naresh Bhandari, a member of the Constituent Assembly, and Bal Bahadur Mahat, a former minister of state, registered a bill in the parliament along with the concept for the establishment of the Academy.

The Academy currently offers advanced educational programmes, including a 300-bed hospital and various specialist services.