Nepal’s health policy environment and health-care delivery system has changed over the last 25 years, during which it witnessed a significant progress in improving citizens’ access to healthcare services. However, a combination of factors intrinsic to the nation continue to influence health service delivery producing variable health outcomes. Nepal stands at a pivotal moment where aligning science, technology, and healthcare can transform its future. Despite the growing national and global demand for medical innovation, Nepal lacks a structured Biomedical Engineering program (BME) —an urgent need that intersects with national development goals, global health innovation, and the ethical use of emerging technologies. Premier public institutions such as the Institute of Engineering (IOE, Pulchowk), Institute of Medicine (IOM, Maharajgunj), Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), and Lagankhel Mental Hospital hold untapped potential to lead this transformation but require strategic coordination and investment.
Given the Nepal’s target towards achieving universal health coverage and sustainable development targets, there is a need to review and understand the functioning of Nepal’s health system, its strengths, challenges, and opportunities. There is a need to explore the key health system factors influencing health services and healthcare needs, and forge actionable recommendations for the future. Nepal’s healthcare system faces significant challenges, including limited access to advanced medical technologies, a shortage of skilled biomedical professionals, and reliance on foreign healthcare services.
Why Biomedical Engineering is Critical for Nepal
Biomedical Engineering merges medicine, engineering, and digital innovation to design life-saving devices, diagnostic systems, and AI-integrated care solutions. Nepal’s reliance on foreign healthcare has created an economic and accessibility crisis. Despite talent and demand, the absence of a biomedical engineering pipeline is contributing to capital flight due to foreign medical tourism, brain drain among high-performing STEM and medical graduates, under-equipped hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas and policy stagnation in innovation-led healthcare reform.
A nationally recognized Biomedical Engineering Degree Program would bridge the gap between engineering and medical sciences to boost advanced diagnostics and medical devices, enable AI-integrated mental health and elderly care and catalyze local health innovation and entrepreneurship Biomedical Engineering underpins all these goals—supporting ethical AI, neurotechnology, telehealth, and culturally adapted diagnostic solutions. THis program should be in alignment with National & Global Priorities. It should align with Nepal Health Policy, Science & Technology Policy, Digital Nepal Framework 2.0 , Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WHO and UNESCO mandates for health innovation and education
Despite the presence of esteemed institutions like the Institute of Engineering (IOE), Institute of Medicine (IOM), Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), and Lagankhel Mental Hospital, there is a lack of coordinated efforts and targeted investments to establish Biomedical Engineering programs. Such programs are crucial for integrating medical science with technology, fostering innovation, and improving healthcare delivery.
Biomedical Engineering (BME) is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering principles to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. Globally, BME has been instrumental in developing medical devices, diagnostic equipment, and advanced therapeutic techniques. In Nepal, the formal introduction of BME as a course occurred approximately a decade ago, with institutions like the College of Biomedical Engineering & Applied Sciences pioneering undergraduate programs . However, the expansion and integration of BME into public institutions remain limited.
Nepal’s universities must be redesigned to ensure permanent academic positions retain experts in fast-moving fields like biomedical engineering, neurotechnology, or digital health systems in emerging and interdisciplinary areas. create institutional mechanisms for cross-faculty collaboration, especially between engineering, medicine, and mental health. Visionary leadership at the Vice-Chancellor level is lacking who lacks understanding of long-term national needs and secure funding, partnerships, and global alliances. It’s about Nepal’s sovereignty in science, healthcare, and innovation. We stand at the crossroads of an era where biomedical engineering, mental health integration, and AI-powered diagnostics are no longer distant aspirations — they are here, they are urgent, and they are transformative. Institutions like IOE and IOM have begun to recognize this shift. How can citizens expect long-term innovation if nation's most talented educators and researchers are treated as temporary? How can citizens build a national ecosystem of biomedical innovation if the governance system of the unuversity cannot even guarantee basic institutional support? This is not just an administrative issue. This is a national development crisis.
The university model should be redesigned — structurally, ethically, and financially — to support the emerging fields that define global progress today. Biomedical engineering is not a luxury. It is the bridge between technology and health, between policy and people, between crisis and care. And yet, without permanent, well-supported academic positions, we are building this bridge with temporary scaffolding. THe university should have a VC with vision — someone who understands that these are not side programs, but nation-building platforms. Someone who can secure long-term investment, build international collaborations, and most importantly, value human capital — the minds that will train the next generation, lead research, and serve society. The future of Nepal depends on how seriously we invest in its thinkers, teachers, engineers, and healers. Biomedical engineering, mental health research, and AI-powered medicine must be institutional priorities. They must be protected, expanded, and elevated.
Despite their prestige, public institutions like IOE, IOM, and NAST suffer from chronic underfunding limited global collaboration. These public institutions should be declared as “Institutions of Special National Importance” enabling a dedicated legal and funding framework, national and international philanthropic engagement, stronger faculty upskilling and mentorship programs with infrastructure for innovation, incubation, and publication and inclusive education for high-potential students across regions.
This declaration should be accompanied by a Special Act under Parliament to ensuring autonomous governance with national oversight, Recognition of premier institutions as national priorities are imperative for modernizing Nepal’s healthcare system. Such initiatives will bridge the gap between medical science and technology, reduce dependency on foreign services, and stimulate economic and educational growth. A concerted effort involving government agencies, academic institutions, and international partners is essential to realize this vision.
Digital Framework Nepal 2.0 (DFN 2.0 ) and Nepal health policy alignment
From the perspectives of Nepal’s growing IT industry and emerging health tourism sector, academic programs such as Biomedical Science and Engineering must be strategically led and strengthened by Nepal’s premier public institutions.
The Digital Nepal Framework 2.0 (DNF 2.0), unveiled by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, envisions a digitally connected nation with accessible and efficient healthcare services . Implementing BME programs aligns with DNF 2.0’s objectives, particularly in enhancing digital health infrastructure and services. This version of DFN 2.0 envisions a digitally connected nation, where healthcare services are accessible, efficient, and citizen-centered. This requires capacity Building & Partnerships by training of health professionals in digital tools in collaboration with universities, private tech firms, and NGOs for improved healthcare access for remote populations, real-time health data for decision-making, strengthened pandemic and emergency response capacity, cost-effective healthcare delivery and monitoring. Government agencies, development partners, and health institutions are urged to align strategies with DFN V2.0 and invest in building Nepal’s digital health infrastructure.
To realize this vision, Nepal’s premier public institutions—such as Tribhuvan University (TU), Institute of Engineering (IOE), Institute of Medicine (IOM), Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), and others—must be empowered as digital anchors for national development and creating inter-institutional councils for priority areas like health-tech, ed-tech, and agri-tech to prevent siloed efforts.
To accelerate the Digital Framework Nepal 2.0, we must make public premiere institutions resourceful through Infrastructure Investment, Capacity, Governance Reform, Innovation & Ecosystem Activation. and establish globally competitive centers that not only address domestic needs but also contribute significantly to regional and international innovation landscapes. By integrating information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and cognitive science, this revolution transcends traditional digital progress and positions data as the core asset linking human, physical, biological, and cyber domains. Converging Technology Impact Areas are AI-driven diagnostics and early childhood health, Precision agriculture, disaster prediction, Human Capital Development covers Personalized learning via AI platforms for rural education, AI-supported mental health care and chronic disease monitoring. Converging Technology synergizes breakthroughs across human, physical, biological & cyber domains powered by massive data integration, high -speed computing power and ubiquitous connectivity. Human Capital Development AI supported Personalized, quality learning at scale.
Challenges
Premier institutions operate in silos, leading to fragmented initiatives in healthcare technology and innovation with a notable absence of targeted funding for establishing and expanding BME programs in public institutions. The country faces a shortage of skilled biomedical engineers and technicians, impacting the quality and accessibility of healthcare services. Due to limited local capabilities, citizens often seek medical services abroad, leading to capital flight and underutilization of domestic healthcare facilities. Unless the existing laws and bylaws of public premier institutuions are fundamentally reformed to free the institution from political interference, it will remain hindered in achieving its core missions—academic excellence and nation-building. Now, more than ever, a vigorous and transparent public discourse on this issue is urgently needed. Nationwide, open, and inclusive dialogue must begin now.
Policy Recommendations
There is urgent need to foster International Collaboration with global institutions and organizations (e.g., WHO, UNESCO, World Bank) for technical assistance, funding, and knowledge exchange. BME program will help creation of new academic and research opportunities attracting talent and fostering innovation positioning Nepal as a regional hub for biomedical innovation and healthcare services.
Declaring Institutions of Special National Importance
There is a need to develop interdisciplinary programs combining engineering, medicine, and public health by establishing Biomedical Engineering Programs. IOE, IOM, NAST, and Lagankhel Mental Hospital should be declared as Institutions of Special National Importance to recognize IOE, IOM, and NAST as institutions of strategic national value. An autonomous governance models with dedicated funding mechanisms to enhance infrastructure, research, and faculty development in alignment with National Policies with the objectives of DNF 2.0 and the National Health Policy. Programs in biomedical engineering, particularly when integrated with mental health, AI, and public health infrastructure, are not optional — they are essential for Nepal’s future. Institutions like IOE and IOM are unable to offer permanent faculty positions for such emerging fields. This undermines the stability, innovation, and long-term success of these critical disciplines.
Conclusion
The establishment of Biomedical Engineering programs and the recognition of premier institutions as national priorities are imperative for modernizing Nepal’s healthcare system. Such initiatives will bridge the gap between medical science and technology, reduce dependency on foreign services, and stimulate economic and educational growth. A concerted effort involving government agencies, academic institutions, and international partners is essential to realize this vision.