It has been found that Arzu Rana Deuba, a central member of the Nepali Congress who also serves as the foreign minister, has blocked Dr Raamesh Koirala from being appointed as vice-chancellor for the second time.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli recently appointed vice-chancellors to the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, and Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS).
The ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML had agreed to share the vacant vice-chancellor positions in the four institutions equally between themselves.
PM Oli had asked the NC to take the BPKIHS and KAHS, saying the UML could not relinquish the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences and Patan Academy of Health Sciences.
Accordingly, Bikram Shrestha was appointed vice-chancellor of BPKIHS, Buddhi Paudel at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Bharat Khatri at Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, and Pujan Rokaya at KAHS.
A three-member recommendation committee—comprising Health Minister Pradip Paudel, Health Secretary Dr Bikas Devkota, and National Planning Commission member Prof Dr RP Bichchha—was formed to recommend vice-chancellors for the four institutions.
However, disagreements arose within the committee during the recommendation process.
Health Minister Paudel had wanted to recommend Dr Raamesh Koirala for the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences. However, the other two committee members (Health Secretary Devkota and National Planning Commission member Bichchha) initially refused to endorse Koirala’s name.
Minister Paudel took a firm stance, insisting that if Koirala was not recommended, vice-chancellors would not be recommended for any institution. Following this, Bichchha said, "I have been instructed not to recommend Raamesh’s name." However, he did not disclose who had given the order.
Despite opposition from both Devkota and Bichchha, Minister Paudel recommended Koirala for vice-chancellor. After the minister’s insistence, the committee ultimately recommended Bikram Shrestha as the first choice and Koirala as the second for BPKIHS.
Koirala had applied for both BPKIHS and Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences. Due to the power-sharing arrangement between the NC and UML, it was initially not clear which institution each party would get. Minister Paudel argued that a competent individual like Koirala should be appointed regardless of the institution.
Meanwhile, NC leader Shekhar Koirala had lobbied for appointing Prof Dr Prahlad Karki, former acting vice-chancellor of BPKIHS, as vice-chancellor of the institute.
NC General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma advised Health Minister Paudel to prioritize merit in appointing vice-chancellors and assured the party’s support for the minister’s recommendations.
"Recommend the best candidate for vice-chancellor. Whoever becomes vice-chancellor, ultimately the line minister will be accountable," the general secretaries advised Minister Paudel.
General Secretary Thapa even cited his own experience as health minister, recalling how he had failed to appoint his preferred candidate (Raamesh Koirala) due to political interference.
“The minister should recommend the person they want to appoint as vice-chancellor; that’s the line minister’s job. But even I couldn’t appoint the person I wanted (Raamesh Koirala) as vice-chancellor. Let’s ensure that doesn’t happen this time,” Thapa said.
When CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was prime minister, Thapa served as minister for health and population for about nine months.
During his tenure, Thapa had recommended three names, including Koirala’s, to the Cabinet for the vice-chancellor position at BPKIHS. Thapa wanted to appoint Koirala, whom he considered highly capable, as vice-chancellor.
However, the party said that since the institute was in the east, leaders from that region would recommend names. Accordingly, Prof Dr Rajkumar Rauniyar was appointed vice-chancellor of BPKIHS on the recommendation of former NC general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Rauniyar was later sacked during a Senate meeting for allegedly misusing his position and mismanaging the institution.
At that time, too, NC leader Arzu Rana Deuba, who is also the wife of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, had instructed Sitaula to recommend a name to prevent Koirala from becoming vice-chancellor of BPKIHS, according to sources.
Recalling his experience of not being able to appoint his preferred candidate as vice-chancellor, General Secretary Thapa advised Health Minister Paudel to recommend someone he deemed capable.
Before finalizing the vice-chancellor recommendations, Minister Paudel met party President Deuba multiple times to discuss the matter, but Deuba did not give him the “green signal.”
When Deuba did not respond positively to his proposal, Minister Paudel consulted General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma.
On August 8, NC President Deuba, Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka, General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma, and Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Paudel met at Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha.
During the discussion, General Secretary Thapa raised the issue of vice-chancellor recommendations.
“The line minister should be given autonomy on this matter and allowed to recommend the name of whoever they find capable,” Thapa said. “Health Minister Paudel should be allowed to appoint his preferred candidate as vice-chancellor. The party should not interfere in this.”
After Thapa’s remarks, President Deuba said, “I have already given my word to someone else.”
Thapa countered that the issue was not about promises but about assigning responsibility to capable individuals.
Sources say that Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba then told the leaders that Raamesh Koirala could not be appointed vice-chancellor as per Health Minister Paudel’s wishes.
“When Dr Ravi Malla was appointed executive director of Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, or even before that, Raamesh Koirala wrote various posts criticizing the Congress. Why should he be appointed?” Rana reportedly said.
Koirala was also an aspirant for the executive director position at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center. However, Dr Malla, who is close to NC President Deuba, was appointed executive director on January 17, 2024. At that time, Pushpa Kamal Dahal was prime minister with the support of NC and other parties, and Mohan Bahadur Basnet of the NC was health minister.
Back then, Arzu Rana had reportedly said, “Raamesh, who keeps criticizing Congress leaders, should not be made executive director.”
Koirala has since announced his resignation from Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center.
After arriving in the United States, Koirala publicly announced his resignation, effective from October 16, via a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday.
A senior consultant cardiac surgeon, Koirala was the head of the Cardiovascular Department at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, where he worked for 25 years.
“As I am currently abroad and will be unable to be present at the Center before October 16, 2025, I request that my resignation be accepted effective from October 16, 2025, and that the board of directors be informed accordingly,” he wrote in his resignation letter addressed to Executive Director Dr Ravi Malla.
In the letter, Raamesh said that he is confident the federal government will transform the Center into “Shahid Gangalal National Heart and Neurology Center”, a dream shared by NC General Secretary Thapa, Health Minister Paudel, him, and others.
“Even though I will no longer be working at the Center, I am confident that the federal government will, starting this year, expand the Center from heart-related services to establish it as ‘Shahid Gangalal National Heart and Neurology Center,’ bringing pride to the nation as envisioned by Gagan Thapa, Pradeep Paudel, you, me, and our well-wishers. I will always be available to provide advice and suggestions for such initiatives,” Raamesh wrote.
He said that leaving his skills, country, and profession suddenly left him with a heavy heart, but the thought of returning in a different capacity remains alive.
“Perhaps I won’t be a surgeon then. Sorry! I salute my family, who believe I could even drive a rickshaw to support the household if needed,” Koirala wrote in his letter.
