Bachelor in Public Health (BPH)

Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) offers 4 years of Full-Time Bachelor in Public Health (BPH) program. KAHS aims to produce the next generation of health professionals and leaders through educational excellence, innovative research, evidence-informed patient-centered care, public health advocacy, and collaborative community engagement for health promotion and wellness, as well as disease prevention and cure locally and globally. In this connection, the BACHELOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH (BPH) program will be one of the cornerstones to achieving the goals of the KAHS.

Background and Goals of the BPH Program:

There is a dearth of core public health professionals in the government health machinery. With a rapid health transition taking place, Nepal faces two threats, one being the rising disease burden and the other the poor allocation of government funds. Both can be effectively managed by personnel trained in public health through appropriate public health training, i.e. ability to involve communities, work in multidisciplinary teams, and lobby with government and community leaders with a deep understanding of social, economic, and environmental determinants of health. Public health professionals are well-armed to face these challenges.

Purpose of the Program:

The most widely recognized professional credential for leadership in public health is a Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) degree. This program prepares students to be competitive on a global level in vast areas of community health. It emphasizes the acquisition of skills essential to the practice of public health through techniques like student-directed learning, problem-solving, and field postings. Public health professionals can function as policy analysts, health planners, epidemiologists, demographers, and social and behavioral scientists.

The mission of the Program:

KAHS prepares public health leaders to build a tradition of public health that challenges conventional thinking with excellence on integrity, ethical behavior, and respect for diversity for the ascertainment of the School of Public Health, KAHS to new horizons.

The vision of the Program:

The vision of the BPH program is to promote and maintain health across the population; prevent disease and injury and reduce health inequalities; conduct community-based quality research that transformed into practice; train and create a cadre of Public Health Leadership, and ensure collective commitment to ethical behavior.

Objectives:

By the completion of the BPH program the students will achieve the following objectives:

• To develop knowledge and skills in the basic medical sciences and their application.
• Enhance the knowledge and practical skills in public health, primary health care, health system development, health economics, nutrition, and occupational and environmental health.
• Train and develop the students on epidemiological aspects of diseases.
• To develop skills in analyzing, designing, and evaluating applied public health research and management.
• Ensure the skillful practice and leading human resources through community diagnosis, family health exercise, and district health system management.
• Develop research and scientific writing skills.
• Develop extracurricular competencies through training, seminar, and exposure to school health, water supply, dairy product and waste treatment etc.

Eligibility for admission:

The student should have either of the following qualifications to enroll in BPH program:

Proficiency certificate level (PCL) in health sciences (general medicine, nursing, medical laboratory technology, pharmacy, radiography, ophthalmic science, and equivalent PCL degree in health sciences) securing at least 50% marks. OR

Intermediate or 10+2 or equivalent degree in sciences with biology with at least 50% marks (equivalent GPA 2.5)

Duration of the course:

Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) is a 4 years academic programme that includes 6 months of practical posting in the final year.

Duration of the program:

The normal duration for completing the BPH course is four years. However, the student is allowed a normal duration (4 years) plus three years to complete the course. If a student is unable to complete the course within seven years from the date of admission, the registration in the academy will be canceled.

Intake of students:

The total intake of students for the BPH program will be 20, which are categorized as followed:

• Full scholarship: 4 (20% of the total seats)
• Partial scholarship: 4 (20% of the total seats)
• Collaborative scholarship: 4 (20 % of the total seats)
• Staff/staff children scholarship: 1 (5% of seats)
• Full paying: 7 (35% of total seats)

The Course Outline of the BPH Program