25th April 2025, Kathmandu
Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) has successfully concluded its first-ever convocation ceremony on April 24, Wednesday, a momentous occasion marking a significant milestone in the institution’s journey towards excellence in healthcare education.
The First Convocation held at Nepal Army Sport Complex, in Satdobato, awarded 458 graduates who had completed Fellowship MD/MS, MBBS from School of Medicine, MPH from School of Public Health and MN, BSc Nursing, BNS, from School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Speaking on the occasion, Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister and Chancellor of Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said,” I commend the Academy on pioneering innovative educational model that integrates latest development in healthcare, particularly highlighting the inclusion of subjects like medical humanities. This approach produces health professionals who are not only skilled but also compassionate, a quality demonstrated through the impactful work of the graduates within the community. I also applaud the work the Academy is doing to provide care to people of rural Nepal. Reflecting on lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, we all know the importance of preparedness in facing emerging challenges. For this, it is imperative to strengthen the public sector health facilities. Large part of the country is still rural and extending healthcare services to these areas is of high priority. Government is working to improve the physical infrastructure of Hospitals across the country and I assure that new building projects as per the Master Plan will go ahead. “
Similarly, Chief Guest and Orator, Nobel Peace Laureate Mr. Kailash Satyarthi commented,
“The Academy is doing great to produce compassionate health professionals by community engagement and teaching medical humanities. The world can and should learn from the great work being done here.
It is important to feel a sense of gratitude and so I ask all the graduates to serve their own country, to give back to the nation that has helped them to reach where they are now, to give back to the parents and families who have sacrificed so much for them. We all need to do our bit to make this world a better place, more just and more equitable place. That is compassion in action.”
Mr. Satyarthi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his tireless crusade against the oppression of children and youth, and his unwavering commitment to ensuring every child’s right to education. Through “Bachpan Bachao Andolan”, he has been instrumental in liberating more than 115,000 children from child labor, slavery, trafficking and other forms of exploitation, many of them from Nepal, and developed a successful model for their education, rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
The Global March Against Child Labor, which he led, galvanized support in 103 countries resulting in the adoption of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. This went on to become the only universally ratified convention in the history of the ILO.
With Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, he exemplifies a life guided by compassion, setting an unmatched standard in the field of social reforms.
Similarly, Vice–Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rajesh Nath Gongal stated,
“All three schools of the Academy i.e School of Medicine, School of Public Health and School of Nursing and Midwifery have achieved remarkable milestones and the curriculum of all three school have been developed to match the mission of the Academy i.e to produce technically competent and compassionate health professional willing to work for people of Nepal, especially from rural disadvantaged population. I would also like to emphasize the progress made in Patan Hospital and congratulate the graduates on this momentous achievement. I would also like to request those who are abroad to come back to your own nest for there is no greater honor than to serve your own country, no greater privilege than to serve your own people and no greater joy in life than to serve your parents in their time of need.”
The convocation concluded with a sense of pride and optimism as graduates bid farewell to their alma mater, ready to embrace new challenges and opportunities in their professional lives. For PAHS, the inaugural convocation serves as a testament to its mission of nurturing future leaders in healthcare and advancing the quality of medical education in Nepal and beyond. As PAHS looks towards the future, it remains committed to its vision of excellence, innovation, and service to humanity, continuing to inspire and empower the healthcare professionals of tomorrow.
About Patan Academy of Health Sciences
Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) was established in 2008 on the robust foundation of Patan Hospital, which has a history going back to 1956 as Shanta Bhawan Hospital. Its mission is to produce technically competent health professionals who are also compassionate and are willing to work for the disadvantaged rural population.
It has developed unique innovative curriculum and adopted new teaching methodology like problem-based learning. Community based learning has been given a lot of emphasis, taking the students through all the tiers of National Health System with large proportion of teaching occurring in rural areas. It has three schools, School of Medicine, School of Public Health School of Nursing and Midwifery.
