B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences

B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
वी. पी. कोइराला स्वास्थ्य विज्ञान प्रतिष्ठान
Type Public
Established 1993
Endowment 450,00,00,000 Rs.(100 million USD)
Vice Chancellor Dr. B.P Das
Academic staff
 375
Undergraduates 120 per year (MBBS)
Location Dharan, Nepal
26°48′30″N 87°16′00″E / 26.808291°N 87.26655°E / 26.808291; 87.26655
Website bpkihs.edu

B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) (Nepali: वी. पी. कोइराला स्वास्थ्य विज्ञान प्रतिष्ठान), is a medical institution in Nepal. It was established in 1993 in Dharan, a city located in Sunsari district in eastern Nepal, and subsequently upgraded as an autonomous Health Sciences University on Oct 28, 1998.

The Institute is an example of Nepal-India co-operation. BPKIHS has postgraduate, undergraduate, and university certificate programs. It has four colleges: Medical, Dental, Nursing, and Public Health with a 700-bed Central Teaching Hospital.

BPKIHS is governed by the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Act, 1993.

History

B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, established in 1998and upgraded to a university in 1998, is an autonomous health sciences university. Its goal is to meet the health needs of the eastern region of Nepal at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. BPKIHS is a self-governing body.

BPKIHS is one of the largest projects implemented through Indo-Nepal co-operation. The university is named after the late B.P. Koirala, a former Prime Minister of Nepal.

BPKIHS took over the management of the 150-bedded former Eastern Regional Hospital in 1993. With the new hospital complex, the university raised the strength of beds to 700 with added facilities like CCU, ICU, VVIP Critical Care area and Observational beds. MRI, CT-scan, emergency laboratory, C-arm and mobile x-ray facilities, sterilization section, and operation theaters with recovery room facilities are available in the Hospital.

BPKIHS Medical College Block.
College from the hostel terrace

Postgraduate programs (MD/MS and M. Sc.) were started in 1999. All the MD/MS, M. Sc. and MPH degree are recognized by councils of Nepal and most MD/MS degrees (Anesthesiology, Dermatovenerology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Surgery, Radiology, Psychiatry, Ortorhinolaryngology, Medicine, Pharmacology) are recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI) as well.

While selecting candidates for MD/MS postgraduate studies, the institute has given recognition to those Nepalese medical graduates who have served the primary health centers and/or district hospitals under the government health system. Ph.D. in Basic Science (Biochemistry and Physiology) and Tropical & Infectious Disease started in 2011.

The School of Public Health was established in 2005 and runs a two-year MPH program. The M.Sc. nursing program in Community and Psychiatry Nursing started in 2008, M.Sc. in Maternal & Child Health started in 2011.

The MBBS program of BPKIHS started in 1994, is recognized by Medical Council of Nepal, India and Sri-Lanka. It is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools published by the WHO.

The institute started a BDS program in 1999, which is recognized by the Nepal Medical Council. It is the only government recognized BDS program of Nepal. The duration of the BDS and MBBS Program is 4½ years followed by a year of Compulsory Community Oriented Residential Rotating Internship, which is mandatory and to be completed successfully at BPKIHS and its Teaching District Hospitals. An MDS Program started in 2011 in Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Periodontology & Oral Implantology, Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry and Prosthodontics. MDS program was started in Orthodontics in 2012 but was discontinued a year later. MDS program was started in oral medicine & radiology and public health dentistry in 2014.

B.Sc. Nursing and University Certificate Nursing Programs were started in 1996 and 1999 respectively. All the nursing degrees are recognized by the Nepal Nursing Council. There are separate college complexes for both BDS and Nursing programs in the BPKIHS campus.

B.Sc. Medical Imaging Technology (MIT) started in 2001 and B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) in 2005, certificate in OT and AS in 2000. The number of students programme-wise is MD/MS 155, M.Sc. (Basic Sciences) 19, MBBS 264, BDS 160, B.Sc. Nursing 54, B. Sc. MIT 18, Certificate Nursing 120, OT & AS 17, B.Sc MLT 30, MBBS Interns 57 and BDS Interns 35.

The institute has launched the concept of a ‘Teaching District’. Presently Sunsari, Morang Dhankuta, Saptari, Jhapa and Ilam districts are included, but gradually all the districts of the entire eastern region of Nepal (16 districts) will be included in teaching districts.

The Technical Hospital

On July 16, 1993, HMG handed over the 150 bedded Eastern Regional Hospital to BPKIHS. The institute raised the strength of beds to 210 with added facilities like CCU, ICU and observation beds. With the new hospital complex the bed strength is raised to 646.

BPKIHS Medical College Panoramic view.
Medical college building

A screening or General Out Patient Department (GOPD) has been provided which forms the initial entry point. It contains the facilities needed as the first point of contact - general medical officers attend to the patients and take care of diagnosis and treatment, dressing and plaster service, help from health educators and social workers and pharmacy. The cases requiring further attention are along sent to sections of OPD, where consultants are available. Clinics (Pain clinic, diabetics, cardiac) and pay clinics function in the afternoon. OPD services are provided from 8:00AM to 1:00PM and 2:00Pm to 5:00PM.

One wing of this block on the ground floor accommodates the Department of Radiology and provides imaging services containing X-ray machines, ultrasound, fluoroscopic devices, CT scan etc. The other wing has a blood bank and transfusion centre, hospital laboratory services for biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, haematology, immunology, cytogenetics and a series of other laboratories for investigations like Cardiognosis and neurodiagnosis. Polysomnography and life style labs along with section for electronic maintenance workshop is also provided.

Also available are diagnostic services such as Endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, and automatic blood gas and electrolyte analyser systems, haemodialysis, tread mill test, colour doppler echocardiography, non-invasive cardiac and nervous system investigative techniques e.g. EPS, fundus fluorescent angiography, ultrasonography, and audiometry.

On the first floor of this block are provided ICU/ICCU & VVIP critical care area, facilities for day care surgery in the left wing, and a suit of operating theatres for surgery (eight OTs very rooms, emergency laboratory, C-arm and mobile x-ray facilities, sterilization section); and a suite of changing rooms for doctors, nurse, technicians, students, in the right wing of the block.

Next to the OT block are the three-story interconnected two-wing blocks of indoor wards (12 wards) so constructed that the nursing station has a view of the wards in that block. Provision has been made for intermediate critical care (central medical gas pipeline and vital sign monitoring system) in some wards on each floor and also facilities for examination and treatment in each nursing station. Each ward has about 34 beds. A set of 42 private rooms - deluxe, single, double bed, have also been provided in a separate three-story wing, and arrangement for critical care management available in two rooms in each floor.

Presently, the hospital is providing the services of a general hospital which include:

  1. Anaesthesia,
  2. Anatomy (Cytogenetics),
  3. Biochemistry,
  4. Dentistry,
  5. Dermatology and STD,
  6. Emergency,
  7. Forensic Medicine,
  8. Gynaecology & Obstetrics,
  9. Hematology,
  10. Medicine,
  11. Microbiology,
  12. Pharmacology (drug monitoring),
  13. Ophthalmology,
  14. Otorhinolaryngology,
  15. Orthopaedics,
  16. Paediatrics,
  17. Pathology,
  18. Physiology (EEG, PFT),
  19. Psychiatry,
  20. Radio Diagnosis,
  21. Surgery,
  22. Tuberculosis and
  23. Infections and Tropical Diseases.

An Emergency section has been provided in the hospital complex. Equipment has been provided for triage, examination and resuscitation. Provision for dressing, plaster, x-ray and emergency lab facilities are available. A separate set of 2-Emergency OTs with recovery fitted with ventilators and vital sign monitoring system, space for doctors/nurses on duty, a 10-bed ward for critical care with bed-head panels and telemetric vital sign monitoring and ventilating system has also been provided.

A separate hospital under the College of Dental Surgery has 25 dental chairs. The hospital is managing OPD (Oral Diagnosis, Oral Surgery, Periodonitcs, Endodontics, Pedodontics, Prosthodontics, and Orthodontics), and Emergency services. The Dental Hospital has 10 beds for inpatients. A new college block has been planned and the work has started, funded by the government of India.[1]

A Cath lab from Philips (Allura FC)has been set up for Coronary catheterization and Angiography. It is supported by Geneva University in logistics and trainings.[2]

Recognition

The MBBS Programme is recognized by the Medical Council of India and Sri Lanka, in addition to the recognition by the Nepal Medical Council. The world Health Organization has listed the institute in the World Directory of Medical Schools, Similarly, the Nepal Nursing council has recognized the B.Sc. Nursing Program. The institute is being processed for recognition of MD/MS and BDS programmes from the Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India respectively.

Notable people who worked in the institute

Controversy

There have been instances of allegations of corruption (favoring contractors for kickbacks, diverting funds intended for salaries and raises,[3][4][5][6] auctioning seats in the college) being raised against the administration, more specifically, the executive body which includes the Vice Chancellor (B. P. Das), the Rector (Bikram Shrestha) and the Registrar of the college[7][8] with recent investigations underway by CIB. The staff on strike had been demanding the increase in salary that the government had sanctioned for them and the Vice Chancellor refused to allocate on the grounds of insufficient funds. Following an almost two-year-long battle with the administration, around 60 staffers decided to go on a hunger strike and were arrested by the police for violating the Supreme Court order issued in response to a writ by a local resident Raj Kumar BK.[9] The swift processing of the writ on behalf of Kumar (the Supreme Court took a few days to process the writ) compared to the staffers on-going legal battle that lasted more than two years raised questions of involvement of Government functionaries in the re-direction of funds.

The BP Koirala Institute of Health Science (BPKIHS), Dharan has decided to cancel the supplementary MBBS exam after a student admitted that she received question papers from Nirmal Baral, Dean of the Exams Department. Aashna Thakur admitted that she received the question paper in advance after Dr Kopila Agrawal, who was monitoring the exam caught her with a notebook with all the answers for the exam. Baral resigned but refuted the allegations. He accused BPKIHS officials of making him a scapegoat. Baral called for a free and fair investigation into the matter.[10][11]

There have also been multiple instances of sexual harassment that have been pro-actively suppressed by the administration. A recent case of sexual harassment was brought to light when a 23-year-old girl from Dharan accused professor Murari Das, of the microbiology department, of forcing himself on her. The girl, who worked at the department, charged the professor of molestation, accusing Das of forcefully hugging and touching her. The victim´s family lodged a complaint with the institute registrar apropos the incident on October 9. Following the complaint, the administration refused to constitute an inquiry which agitated some people to form a group and attack Murari Das, resulting in severe injuries and his admission to the emergency ward of the hospital. Das received serious injuries in his head and face. The accused maintains that he is innocent and a police investigation is ongoing regarding the attack, an inquiry into the charges of harassment is pending.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Archived December 6, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Archived July 6, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=76054
  4. ↑ http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=76706
  5. ↑ http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2014/06/04/news/bpkihs-seeks-govt-help-to-end-employees-strike/263572.html
  6. ↑ http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/09/17/national/bpkihs-registrar-appeals-to-end-strike/395209.html
  7. ↑ http://swasthyakhabar.com/2014/06/11938.html
  8. ↑ http://ranabhola.blogspot.com/2013/08/ciaa_16.html?m=1
  9. ↑ http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/05/31/national/protesting-bpkihs-staffers-held/390291.html
  10. ↑ http://www.educatenepal.com/news/detail/mbbs-questions-at-bpkihs-leaked-dean-resigns
  11. ↑ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z17SehcWa30J:www.parakhireviews.com/news/2012/10/15/bpkihs-cancels-supplementary-mbbs-exam-due-to-paper-leak+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk
  12. ↑ http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=85313

External links

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