Nick Simons Institute





















	BMET Training Apllicants

	MDGP Scholarship
	Nepal CME

NSI Trainings

General Practice Doctors

Every ship needs a captain, and the rural health care team is no exception. The General Practice (GP) doctor is a versatile, multi-skilled doctor whose presence can transform a poorly functioning remote hospital or health center.

Known in other countries as Family Medicine doctors, GPs in Nepal receive 3 years of training to become fully qualified specialists, capable of handling the care of most medical, surgical, pediatric, and obstetric patients. Nepal's first GP program began at the Institute of Medicine in the early 1980s and today there are also programs at National Academy of Medical Science (NAMS), Patan Hospital, Tansen Hospital, and BP Koirala Institute of Medical Science.

Dr. Bruce Hayes, himself an MDGP from Australia, conducted a study in 2001 and found that 70% of all of Nepal's MDGP graduates were working outside the Kathmandu valley long-term. Many were in government service and had established homes and private practice in the rural communities where they were posted. In 2004, Patan Hospital found that a similar proportion of its own graduates were still working outside the capital city.

NSI conducted a conference in March 2006 in which national and international experts convened to develop a consensus on building up the GP profession in Nepal. They advised an integrated approach that included (1) Lobbying government to give GPs full privileges in the government career ladder, (2) Support of families, (3) Continuing medical education, and (4) Inclusion of GP training in medical school curricula.

NSI will support the GP profession by working in all of these areas. While NSI does not need to develop new MDGP courses, we will support the existing programs and provide scholarships to trainees. In addition, NSI will support GPs already working in the field.

Facts About the Training

Entry	Undergraduate doctor
Length	3 years
Place	Hospitals, including remote rural experience
Skills acquired	All round doctor able to take care of adults and children, conduct deliveries, and perform some operations.
Relevance	This doctor is uniquely equipped to lead a rural health care team. In addition to taking care of a range of patients, he or she is able to coordinate health care and training for the district.