The first health science university of Nepal has been opened in Geta of Kailali. The government is going to establish a university of health sciences to operate the hospital here as a specialized university. The 'Sahid Dashrath Chand Health Sciences University Bill 2081' was passed by the Federal Parliament on Sunday for the establishment of the said university.

In the House of Representatives meeting on Sunday, Education, Science and Technology Minister Raghuji Pant proposed that the bill be passed, and the bill was passed unanimously.

After the passing of the bill, Kailali has been rejoicing. In celebration of the passing of the bill for the establishment of the country's first health science university, local residents have lit lamps in Geta. The bill, which was passed by the National Assembly last year, will now come into effect after being certified by the President and published in the gazette.  In the bill passed by

, it is mentioned that it has been established as a specialized university to carry out quality study-teaching, research and innovation in the field of health sciences and to provide quality health services with experts easily to the general public.

The effort to establish a medical college in Geta was started from the local level in 056. In the same year, the government provided 77 bigha of land for the establishment of a medical college, but the work could not proceed. After 10 years in 2006, the government started efforts by allocating 110 million rupees through the National Planning Commission for the feasibility study.

At the same time, the government also formed the Geta Medical College Infrastructure Development Committee. In 2006, 84 bigha land was allocated for the construction of a medical college and mapping work was done.

Geta-based Shaheed Sanghari Bhimdatta Pant Community Forest Users Group had agreed to give their forest area to establish a medical college, but there was confusion in environmental impact assessment and tree felling . Although the contract for the construction of the administrative building of the medical college was awarded in 071 Baisakh, the work had to wait for three years. The foundation stone of administrative, college and hospital buildings of Geta Medical College was laid in 074 Baisakh.

When the government was preparing to establish a medical college in Geta, the local residents formed a struggle committee demanding the establishment of a medical university. After that, the government is ready to establish a medical university.

The government decided to establish Shaheed Dashrath Chand National University of Health Sciences in Geta as a specialized university related to health sciences through the cabinet meeting on 29th of January 2018. According to that decision, the government made a law and started the process of university operation. 

These are the provisions of the bill:

The bill provides for an assembly, academic council, executive council, research center, school teaching institute and teaching hospital under the organizational structure of the university. Similarly, the chancellor, vice-chancellor, vice-chancellor, registrar, dean, principal and hospital director of the university will remain.

The Minister of Education and Health of the Government of Nepal will remain the Vice-Chancellor while the Assembly will remain as the highest body of the university. A 19-member university assembly will be formed under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor (Minister of Education of the Government of Nepal). 

The members of the Assembly will be the Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission, the Vice-Chancellor, one person nominated by the Assembly from among the Vice-Chancellors of other universities conducting health science programs, the Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health and Population and the head of the local level (currently Godavari Municipality) where Geta is located.

Similarly, there will be six members including at least three women from among the people who have specialized in the field of health sciences with at least 10 years of experience, one from experts in science and technology, management, law, education, sociology, and anthropology, and one member nominated by the vice chancellor's recommendation from donors who support the university .

The registrar will remain as member secretary of the assembly. The work, duties and rights of the assembly include the university's policy rules, plans, strategies and standards, personalization, managing necessary resources, organization structure, approving the annual budget and program, determining and awarding degrees, equivalencies, etc.

A 6-member executive council will be formed under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor. One member nominated by the assembly from among the professors on the recommendation of the dean, hospital director, vice chancellor will be in the executive council.

The Executive Council, with the registrar as a member secretary, has the rights and duties of implementing the directives of the assembly, preparing the necessary rules and regulations for the university and submitting them to the assembly, managing the resources necessary for the university, determining study, training and research, educational fees, and service fees, providing expert health services easily, determining the job descriptions, positions, service conditions, salaries and facilities of the university and submitting them to the assembly for approval.

The School of Health Sciences will be established and operated at the location of the central office of the university for the purpose of providing study, teaching and health services. It is mentioned that a partial educational institution can be established and operated under the school. But the bill has provided that the university will not give affiliation and approval to educational institutions other than its own religious institutions.

Arrangements have been made to establish and operate a teaching hospital. For that, it is said to conduct educational programs with the hospitals run by the Nepal government or the state government or to use that hospital as a teaching hospital . The government of Sudurpaschim province has already decided to merge Seti, Mahakali and Tikapur hospitals in Geta and has written to the Ministry of Health .

The university will have a nine-member academic council under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor. The council will make the university's academic, educational, research and innovation-related programs high-quality, conduct new educational programs, make recommendations to the executive council for the establishment and operation of religious teaching institutions and teaching hospitals, determine the qualifications of teachers needed for the university, student selection and admission and examination. The

bill has also provided for the formation of academic councils and subject committees in the university . It has been arranged that there will be five members including two women in the Vidya Parishad, where the Dean will be the coordinator. In the passed bill, arrangements have been made for research centers, schools, teaching institutions and teaching hospitals in the university. It is said that the university will establish a research center as per the need to carry out research and innovation related work in its subject area .

Vice-Chancellor should be appointed within three months . The criteria for the vice-chancellor include having obtained a degree from a recognized university in a field related to medical education (health professional education), DM, MCH or the like, working as a professor in a university for at least 10 years. For the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, a three-member recommendation committee has been formed under the coordination of the nominated member of the Assembly. In the

university, the duties and rights of the vice-chancellor to implement the decisions of the assembly and executive council, the registrar to do the work related to the administration of teachers and staff of the university, the dean to do academic and educational leadership as the head of the school, the principal to act as the head of the teaching institution and the hospital director to act as the head of the teaching hospital have been mentioned.