What is the situation of the availability of doctors in Nepal?

A lot depends on the immigration opportunity. We were born in different villages in Nepal and later migrated to the cities in search of opportunities. The same applies to Nepali doctors. In foreign countries, doctors get enough opportunities and employment with facilities and security. There is also a mentality that the future of the family is also safe in foreign lands because of attractive and secure employment.

It is said that there is a shortage of skilled specialist doctors in the country. What is the reality?

Everybody just seems to believe that there are no good doctors in the country. The main thing is that when the quality of education is good, doctors automatically become skilled. Doctors who have studied at the same university are skilled enough to serve abroad. We need skilled manpower to produce skilled doctors.

Nepali doctors are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad. How can this trend be stopped?

This is true. Recently, doctors have been going to UAE, Qatar, the Philippines, and other third countries. The reason behind this is the right opportunity. To stop this trend, we should give opportunities including professional security within the country.

How has Nepal’s health sector developed over the past decade?

There are reasons to be positive. There has been a lot of development and improvement in the health sector since I returned to the country after studying abroad 38 years ago. I built a private hospital like Grande International Hospital myself. During this period, the role of private hospitals in the whole health sector of Nepal is more visible.

What are your expectations from the government?

There is a significant private investment in the health sector. The government alone cannot handle everything. There is a need for policy reforms, and for that, experts from both the private and government sectors, along with other stakeholders, should collaborate. Some problems have emerged due to the absence of a co-payment system for treatments under health insurance. Additionally, reports suggest that the current insurance system has been misused in government hospitals.