Norhed II Physio Nepal
New Master's programmes in Nepal
Great new from Ranjeeta S. Acharya at Kathmandu University School Of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) and Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal!
"We would like to share that this year we have approval for starting the Master's programme in Community Based Rehabilitation (2 seats) and Neurology (2 seats) in Physiotherapy.
This marks the specialty division of physiotherapy at the level of the Nepal government. So far, for any intake of Master of Physiotherapy at the government level, the vacancy announcement has been only Master of Physiotherapy (not mentioning the specialty). NEPTA has been lobbying for a specialty in opening the vacancy, hopefully this specialty division at the Medical Education Commission MEC), Nepal government will help to recognise the specialty division in Nepal."
"Through NORHED, physiotherapy in Nepal have achieved a milestone," comments Ms Acharya.
Below is a video with Ms Acharya describing the Master's programmes available in Nepal as she saw it only one year ago. A year can make a lot of difference!
Strengthening academic capacity in physiotherapy education in Nepal
The Norwegian Program for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), aims to strengthen the capacity of higher educational institutions in developing countries to produce higher-quality graduates, high-quality research, and more inclusive higher education. The NORHED-II program has funded the project, “Strengthening academic capacity in physiotherapy education in Nepal”.
Objective
- To strengthen the academic capacity in physiotherapy education and research in Nepal as prerequisite to develop physiotherapy as an integral part in the health service system.
Outcome
- Establish the first master program in physiotherapy in Nepal
- Develop a new bachelor program in physiotherapy
- Develop a pedagogic course for faculty
- Graduate three PhD candidates
Rationale
- Satisfy the need of physiotherapists in the health sector
- Post graduate opportunities
- Research in own context
Bimika Khadgi at ICS-EUS 2025
Bimika Khadgi reports: "This report details my participation in the prestigious joint International Continence Society (ICS) and Emirates Urological Society (EUS) 2025 conference, held from 17th September 2025 to 20th September 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
My involvement included both attending the scientific sessions as a delegate and presenting our team's research, titled “Knowledge, self-perception and ability of pelvic floor muscle contraction among Nepalese women with urinary incontinence”.
The conference provided an unparalleled opportunity to absorb the latest advancements in continence care, network with global leaders, and disseminate our research findings to an international audience. This experience was immensely valuable for my professional development and will directly benefit our ongoing clinical and research efforts."
Prakash Kumar Mahto at NorDoc Summer School in Oslo
NorDoc Summer School is a get-together of all the PhDs from the Nordic countries. This year the University of Oslo was the host for the summer school from 10-12 August, and it rotates every year around the Nordic countries. More information can be found here.
This year NORHED PhDs were also invited to attend the NorDoc Conference and present posters. There was also a preconference workshop organized for sixteen NORHED PhDs on 8th August. The participants for this workshop were NORHED PhDs from Nepal, Argentina, Tanzania, Ethiopia and some other African countries. A city walk was also organized in Oslo on 9th August for all the Nordic and NORHED PhDs.
Prakash Kumar Mahto, of our project, presented a poster with the title: 'Translation, Validation and Reliability of OMSQ: Nepali Version'.
Synopsis: “Given the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in Nepal and the limited availability of assessment resources in a local language, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive biopsychosocial tool that can both evaluate pain and predict disability in the Nepali language and context."
