The history of hospital service in Nepal starts in the year 1889 with the establishment of Bir Hospital, the oldest hospital now providing general care to tertiary care to the people of Nepal. Bir Hospital was the first teaching hospital for compounders, dressers, and later nurses. For the same reason, the first medical school called Civil Medical School was established in 1933 AD in Bir Hospital. It was also the center for the training of FRCS, MRCP, and MRCOG since 1987. Therefore Bir Hospital has been a postgraduate Training centre from the beginning. In 1979 super-specialization medical services were expanded in this hospital. Modern medical education started in Nepal along with the birth of Bir Hospital in 1889 AD. Although the MBBS program was introduced in 1978 in Institute of Medicine, did not have its own teaching hospital in the beginning, so the clinical teaching and learning activities were centered in Bir and other hospitals in the valley. With the support of Tribhuvan University, post-graduate Education was started in Bir Hospital and other hospitals in the valley through the Post Graduate Medical Education Coordination Committee in 1994 AD. Building upon these experiences and based on the national need, Bir Hospital was developed into the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) on its glorious 114 years in 2002. This was another landmark achievement in the fields of medical education and health services which has provided great optimism and opportunities for the doctors working under the Ministry of Health to teach and to be taught.

NAMS, along with 13 affiliated hospitals has been rapidly progressing in its activities over the last 12 years. During this span of time, the institution has matured and 33 subjects of postgraduation courses in MD/MS/MDS/MCh/DM and two levels of nursing education have been developed. The annual intake has increased from 46 to 93 in postgraduate courses. The NAMS is now running the postgraduate programs of the Basic Specialist Training of MD/MS/MDS and the Higher Specialist Training program of DM/MCh in different subjects.

Aims

The National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) has been established by the Government of Nepal to develop initially with the three major aims:

1. To produce trained manpower with the help of higher education in the field of medical sciences.

2. To make available high-quality health services in Nepal and

3. To develop the academy as the national source center to

4. To expand the specialty health services and research in different parts of the country.

 Achievements of the Aims

1. To produce trained manpower with the help of high medical education Production of trained manpower with the help of high education in the field of medical sciences in the country is being achieved by the establishment of postgraduate programs of the Basic Specialist Training of MD/MS/MDS and the Higher Specialist Training program of DM/MCh in different subjects. A program like MD (Radiation Oncology) is being run only in the country. In this way, the NAMS is not only producing the required trained manpower for the Government service, medical colleges, and private sectors but also providing the young medical graduates have the opportunity for higher and the highest medical education. Such opportunities for training are otherwise difficult in the country or abroad.

2. To make available high-quality health services in Nepal. The NAMS is running the postgraduate Basic Specialist Training of Higher Specialist Training of DM MCh in more than a dozen affiliated hospitals and institutes in different parts of the country. The consultants working there are trained and included in the academic and research activities. The postgraduate trainees are residential working in those hospitals and institutes. The NAMS in these ways are helping to achieve high-quality health service in the affiliated institutes. NAMS is giving extra marks to the Government doctors working in remote places of the country for admission in MD/MS/MDS. This has encouraged young doctors to join the government service and to work in the remote places of the country. All candidates have of course to achieve the minimum required fifty percent marks to pass the entrance examination.

3. To develop the academy as the national source center to conduct research studies in the field of medical sciences. The NAMS has established an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Research to promote, coordinate, and monitor research activities in the NAMS with its different affiliated institutes all over the country. A thesis with research work is compulsory in the MD/MS training program in all the subjects. For the appointment and promotion of faculty members, publications are required. As the programs of the NAMS are running in more than a dozens of hospitals and health institutes, it is promoting the research culture among health professionals and institutes all over the country. To promote and disseminate quality research work, the NAMS publishes the Postgraduate Medical Journal of NAMS (PMJN).

4. To expand the specialty health services and research in a different part of the country BPKCH Bharatpur & RAEH Bhairahawa are two different affiliated hospitals outside Kathmandu providing subspecialties health services. Residents of Medicine, ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, and clinical oncology are posted for their clinical attachment and academic research. NAMS has future plans to extend similar activities in different hospitals in different parts of Nepal to deliver quality health services to produce medical experts and to encourage them to work outside the major cities.