The first batch of specialists from the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB) will graduate by the first week of July this year.

Of the 31 students currently undergoing the Medical Doctorate (MD) degree, eight are in the final year.

MD is a Masters or Postgraduate degree for which only a candidate holding a MBBS degree will be eligible. The course at the university is for four years.

Department of post graduate medicine’s deputy dean, Karma Tenzin, said that in KGUMSB, MD degree are provided in eight different disciplines.

He said that two new disciplines – emergency and psychiatry would be introduced this July at the university. “In the final year, we have two potential surgeons, a gynecologist, two pediatricians, an anesthesiologist, and two ophthalmologists. They would be going to regional hospitals and districts as specialists on graduation.”

The MD degree at KGUMSB started in 2014. Thirteen new students will join the university this July.

The eight final year students studying for a MD degree appeared their last examination yesterday. The results will be announced this month.

Karma Tenzin said that six examiners from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, India are in the country to monitor the quality and standards of the MD degree in the university.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi offers a comprehensive range of medical specialities and services in India.

The hospital is accredited with International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers (NABH) and has achieved success in terms of academics and research.

“In any MD degree examinations, the examiners should be from external sources. So far, the examiners have said that the students are performing well. We have been continuously working with the hospital,” Karma Tenzin said.

KGUMSB also launched the 4th volume of the Bhutan Health Journal (BHJ) yesterday.

This is the first issue of the journal this year and the second edition will be issued in November.

The journal, which is published annually, compiles research works, reviews, and case reports in the field of health.“We hope that the readers have more questions and move to conduct more research,” Karma Tenzin said. “More research would mean more evidence and that would mean better decision-making for the policy makers.”

At the launch of the journal, Dr Atul Kakar and Dr Samiran Nundy’s book HIV/AIDS, rest and treat was also released.

The BHJ was published with support from Bhutan Foundation.

Phurpa Lhamo