Furthering Health Policy in Nepal
When Niroj Bhandari, MBBS, graduated from high school in Nepal, his academic achievement gained him entry as a top 20 applicant out of thousands at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences. He soon became involved in student groups and faculty research.
With Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, a global nonprofit promoting access to lifesaving medicines and technologies, Bhandari contributed to the Equitable Technology Access Framework. He also worked on research studies covering cardiovascular diseases, COVID-19 tracing strategies, and HIV in Nepal.
“I am confident I will gain the cross-disciplinary skills to excel at the intersection of health policy, clinical care, and research.”
After graduation, he was an adviser to a Nepal Parliament member and worked with the Institute for Implementation Science and Health, collaborating on initiatives to improve public health care facilities, conduct implementation research, and contribute to national health care bills, including the Bagmati Provincial Health Bill and the prime minister’s procedural expansion document. In 2023, Bhandari founded Drishya Health Care, a social venture that offers high quality clinical, diagnostic, and public health services to semi-rural populations in western Terai, Nepal.
At the Bloomberg School, Bhandari plans to study economics, epidemiology, and data sciences to gain the knowledge he will need to be a leader in health care.
“No one should suffer seeking health care. It should be the responsibility of every nation to provide it,” Bhandari said. “I believe that technological growth can be leveraged to impact the health of everyone, down to an individual level no matter where they live. The thing that lacks the most to make it happen is intent.”
