London – The two-day Nepal Study Days (24-25 April, 2023) has concluded in Huddersfield, UK.

The event was organised jointly by Britain Nepal Academic Council (BNAC) and School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield. During the conference, scholars and academics based in the UK, Nepal and elsewhere made their presentations on topics including health, education, gender and environment.

The 20^th Study days also celebrated the work of Prof Michael Hutt, Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), who took early retirement in late 2021.

Chairperson of Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Professor Gehnath Baral and Member Secretary Dr Pradip Gyanwali, also attended the conference.

“I am delighted to be in this conference and there are several presentations which are very much policy relevant,” said Dr Gyanwali. “The Nepal Government will incorporate these recommendations in policy and practice. We also look to collaborate with Professor Padam and his team for the development of an Evidence Synthesis Centre in Nepal.” 

Other speakers included Dr Susan Acharya from Tribhuvan University, Professor Tejendra Pherali, University College London, and Professor Simon Rushton from the University of Sheffield. 

Professor Rushton presented initial findings from the MRC-funded project on impact of Federalisation on Nepalese Health Systems, and highlighted the emerging issues and co-production of policy and practice recommendations in Nepal’s Health System during federalisation. 

Similarly, Professor Pherali discussed the politics of higher education in Nepal and Dr Acharya talked about health literacy and intergenerational learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as health and education are the two key pillars that plays an important role to the development of the Nepalese society. The two round-table discussions in the conference discussed the current challenges and opportunities in healthcare research and higher education in Nepal. 

Papers presented discussed about the impact of federalization on health system, impact of Covid 19 on health services delivery and education in Nepal, state of disaster research, challenges on health care research, reintegration of returnee migrants, Nepal Family Cohort Study, tuberculosis care and cost of inpatient burn management in Nepal, among others.

“We had interesting and stimulating presentations and discussions on a range of subjects related to Nepal,” said Prof Padam Simkhada, Professor of Global Health and Associate Dean at the University of Huddersfield and chairperson of the conference organising committee. “We hope these academic discussions will also be able to provide important policy recommendations to policymakers in Nepal and beyond.”

The BNAC was established in 2000 with a view to promote academic and scholarly links between Britain and Nepal through collaborative research, exchange programmes and organisation of annual lectures, and seminars on areas of mutual interest to both British and Nepali academics and researchers.