Dr. Bhagawan Koirala

Member of the Technical Advisory Council

Dr. Bhagawan Koirala, was born in a village in rural Palpa, Nepal. He went on to graduate from Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine in 1989 and finished his post-graduation training in cardio-thoracic surgery at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases at Dhaka University (Bangladesh) in 1994. In addition, Dr. Koirala did fellowship in cardiac surgery at Baystate Medical Center in the United States and chose to further his education in pediatric cardiovascular surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children (University of Toronto) in 2000.

Dr. Koirala has always remained steadfast in his dedication to equitable healthcare practices within Nepal. Since 1997, he has been known for pioneering the Open-Heart Surgery Program in Nepal and led the establishment and management of Nepal’s first heart specific hospital (Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center).

Programs which he advocated and helped establish such as the “Poor Patients Relief Program” (2003) have positively impacted the lives of numerous individuals whom otherwise would not receive quality care for heart related issues. This program created the precedent to provide free or subsidized heart care (including surgery) for children under 15, and seniors above 75.

Apart from serving as the executive director at the two major hospitals (Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center and Tribhuvan University’s Teaching Hospital, he also was interim Executive Director of  Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center of Tribhuvan University). Dr. Koirala has also remained involved in teaching and mentoring the future doctors of Nepal in his position as professor of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Tribhuvan University. In addition, Dr. Koirala has also served as the Executive Vice-Chair of Health Profession Education (HPE) Commission, formed by the government of Nepal to draft national legislation on healthcare education. He has also served as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the Ministry of Health and facilitated the inclusion of non-communicable diseases as a major policy agenda in national health policy.

He has been awarded with many civilian and military honors for his numerous contributions to the country including “Manager of the Year” Award 2008 from Management Association of Nepal, and Sukirtimaya Rastradeep III in 2019 from the President of Nepal.

Currently, Dr. Koirala is the Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu. He is also the National Co-chair of Nepal’s NCDI Poverty Commission and the chairman of the Nepal Medical Council. Throughout his career, Dr. Koirala has demonstrated his steadfast dedication to the people and children of Nepal. Recently, and as a demonstration of this commitment he has founded the Kathmandu Institute of Child Health (KIOCH). This non-profit organization was created to address the pressing healthcare needs of the children of Nepal through a widespread, affordable, and multifaceted approach.