Prime Minister Balendra Shah, in his capacity as Chancellor of the respective institutions, has appointed new Vice-Chancellors to six government health science academies. The appointments follow a rigorous selection process conducted by a designated Selection and Recommendation Committee, governed by the recently formulated Integrated Procedure for Selection and Recommendation of Vice-Chancellors of Health Science Academies, 2083 and they close out roughly ten weeks of caretaker leadership that began when the previous VCs at all six academies were removed under a nationwide ordinance in May 2026.
The selection process saw a high level of interest, with 113 professionals applying for the six leadership roles. Following evaluation of credentials, interviews, and presentations, the committee finalized the following appointments:
| Academy | New Vice-Chancellor |
| National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) | Dr. Bibek Acharya |
| Patan Academy of Health Sciences | Prof. Dr. Nabees Man Singh Pradhan |
| B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) | Prof. Dr. Smriti Karki |
| Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences | Dr. Narayan Singh Gurung |
| Karnali Academy of Health Sciences | Dr. Suryaman Menyangbo |
| Rapti Academy of Health Sciences | Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra |
The ordinance that emptied health-academy leadership
These appointments trace back to the same nationwide shake-up covered elsewhere in this series for Nepal's public universities. On Baisakh 20, 2083 (May 2, 2026), President Ramchandra Paudel on the government's recommendation issued the "Special Arrangement for Removal of Public Office-Holders Ordinance, 2083" alongside a parallel ordinance specifically amending laws governing Health Science Academies. Together, these removed Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Registrars, Deans, and hospital directors at NAMS, Patan, BPKIHS, Pokhara, Karnali, and Rapti academies roughly 166 office-holders across the six institutions in a single action.
The Ministry of Health and Population assigned caretaker (acting) Directors at each academy around Baisakh 24, 2083 to keep operations running through the open-competition process:
- Patan Academy of Health Sciences: Prof. Dr. Samita Pant.
- Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences: Dr. Narendra Bikram Gurung — a surgeon at the academy who, notably, had not even applied when the VC post was previously advertised, and is a different person from newly appointed VC Narayan Singh Gurung.
- Karnali Academy of Health Sciences: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Binamra Bista.
- B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indra Limbu.
- Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, Dang: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suresh Rasaili.
Selection process
- Applications were invited around Jestha 4, 2083, under the newly approved Integrated Procedure.
- 113 applications were received across all six academies: 26 for Pokhara, 24 for NAMS, 19 for Patan, 17 for Rapti, 16 for BPKIHS, and 11 for Karnali.
- A shortlist of 86 candidates was published on Asar 2, 2083 (June 16, 2026).
- Interviews and presentations for Patan, NAMS, Pokhara, and BPKIHS candidates were held on Asar 16, 2083; Karnali and Rapti candidates were interviewed the following day, Asar 17.
- A Selection and Recommendation Committee, formed under Minister of Health and Food Safety Nisha Mehta, forwarded a shortlist of up to three names per academy to the Council of Ministers, which made the final appointments.
Who they replace
| Academy | Outgoing VC (appointed / removed) |
| NAMS | Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Basnet removed by ordinance, May 2, 2026, along with Rector Dr. Lochan Karki, Registrar Dr. Gyanendra Shah, and Dean Dr. Ashesh Dhungana. |
| Patan Academy of Health Sciences | Prof. Dr. Buddhi Prasad Paudel appointed August 14, 2025; removed by ordinance, May 2, 2026. |
| BPKIHS | Prof. Dr. Bikram Prasad Shrestha appointed August 14, 2025; removed by ordinance, May 2, 2026. |
| Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences | Dr. Bharat Bahadur Khatri appointed by the KP Sharma Oli government, August 14, 2025; removed by ordinance, May 2, 2026. |
| Karnali Academy of Health Sciences | Dr. Pujan Kumar Rokaya appointed August 14, 2025; removed by ordinance, May 2, 2026. |
Four of the five confirmed outgoing VCs at NAMS, Patan, BPKIHS, Pokhara, and Karnali were appointed together on August 14, 2025, under then-Prime Minister and Chancellor KP Sharma Oli. Nepali media coverage at the time reported that these appointments had been divided along party-political lines among the governing coalition, with the process delayed for weeks by internal disagreement particularly over the BPKIHS post before the four names were finally settled.
What we know about the new appointees
Two of the six new VCs were already senior figures inside the institutions they now lead, continuing a pattern also seen in several of the university appointments covered elsewhere in this series:
- Dr. Nabees Man Singh Pradhan (Patan) was Dean of the School of Medicine at PAHS, a post he also lost under the same May 2026 ordinance.
- Dr. Smriti Karki (BPKIHS) is Professor and Head of the Department of Pathology at BPKIHS.
- Dr. Suryaman Menyangbo (Karnali) heads the Department of Surgery at KAHS, and was a finalist for the same VC post in 2025 before losing out to Dr. Rokaya.
