MS General Surgery at Maharajgunj Medical Campus (MMC), Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, is a three-year postgraduate surgical residency under the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Tribhuvan University. The program began in 1994 and is designed to develop knowledge, clinical judgment, operative skills, research ability, and professional responsibility across general surgery and related surgical specialties.
Training covers the recognition and management of surgical disease and trauma, supervised patient care, basic sciences relevant to surgery, clinical research, academic activities, and progressive responsibility during residency. General Surgery is an established academic department at MMC.
Maharajgunj Medical Campus is a constituent campus of the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University under Tribhuvan University.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Course | MS General Surgery |
| Level | Postgraduate surgical residency |
| Institution | Maharajgunj Medical Campus |
| Location | Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Institute | Institute of Medicine |
| University | Tribhuvan University |
| Department | General Surgery |
| Duration: | 3 years |
| Program started | 1994 |
| Training mode | Full-time residential |
| Entrance | MECEE-PG |
| Admission framework | Medical Education Commission |
| Professional registration | Nepal Medical Council |
MS General Surgery is structured to prepare residents to recognize and safely manage a broad range of surgical problems resulting from trauma and surgical disease.
The program combines clinical surgery with the basic sciences that support surgical decision-making. Residents are expected to develop a sound understanding of normal anatomy and physiology, recognize pathological changes, and understand the scientific basis of investigations and treatment.
Professional judgment is another part of the training. A surgical graduate is expected to recognize personal limitations, know when additional information or assistance is needed, and make an appropriate referral when a patient's condition requires expertise beyond the resident's scope.
The course also emphasizes communication with patients, families, staff members, and the wider healthcare team.
The residency aims to develop broad competence in general surgery and related surgical specialties.
By the end of training, graduates are expected to develop:
The program therefore treats surgical training as a combination of clinical competence, technical development, research, communication, and professional judgment.
Duration: 3 years
MS General Surgery follows a three-year full-time residential training structure.
Each postgraduate student is assigned a preceptor. The educational approach encourages self-directed learning with guidance from teaching faculty. Formal lectures are kept to a limited role, while continuing medical education activities, clinical presentations, and journal-club presentations form regular parts of the MS academic schedule.
During the first year, residents receive guidance in basic medical sciences through relevant departments. Tutorial areas include subjects such as:
This scientific foundation is linked with progressive clinical responsibility as residents move through the surgical training program.
Clinical training takes place through surgical departments and specialty rotations.
The training framework includes clinical placement within hospitals used for surgical education, including:
Residents participate in outpatient and inpatient services and manage patients under supervision.
Their responsibilities include:
The curriculum specifically increases the resident's responsibility for patient management during the second year.
This progression allows early training to remain closely supervised while later stages place greater responsibility on the resident's clinical judgment and surgical management.
The residency is intended to produce surgeons with broad knowledge rather than training restricted to isolated operative procedures.
Residents are expected to relate clinical problems to relevant anatomy, physiology, pathology, investigations, and treatment principles. Surgical disease and trauma both form part of the program's scope.
Professional attitude is given particular importance. The program expects graduates to understand the limits of their own competence and to seek information, assistance, or referral when appropriate.
This aspect of training is central to safe surgical practice because the ability to recognize when a patient requires additional expertise is treated as part of professional competence.
Research forms a formal part of MS General Surgery.
During the second year, residents undertake research work for their thesis. The research topic is selected with the agreement of the guide, and the thesis is prepared as part of the postgraduate academic requirements.
By the end of the second year, the guide approves the thesis for submission to the examination section before the final MS examination.
The resident then defends the thesis during the first half of the third year.
The research component develops skills in:
Research is therefore integrated into the residency rather than added only at the end of training.
Assessment is organized in three phases.
The first phase includes evaluation in basic medical sciences.
Internal assessment contributes 20% of the total marks in this phase.
The second phase centers on research and thesis work.
Residents conduct their research during the second year, complete the thesis under supervision, and submit it before appearing in the final MS examination.
The thesis is defended during the first half of the third year.
The later assessment includes theory and practical examination, with emphasis on OSCE-type evaluation in the practical component.
The pass mark is 50% in both theory and practical assessment.
At the end of the third year, the final examination includes:
This phased system evaluates scientific knowledge, research work, clinical competence, and practical surgical performance across the residency.
Eligibility: Applicants must hold an MBBS or equivalent medical qualification recognized under the postgraduate medical admission framework.
The applicable requirements include:
MS General Surgery is not included among the stated exemptions from the general one-year experience requirement.
Admission follows the Medical Education Common Entrance Examination for Postgraduate Level (MECEE-PG) framework administered by the Medical Education Commission.
Candidates must secure at least 50% in the entrance examination to become eligible for the merit list.
Admission then proceeds through the prevailing system covering:
Seat allocations may vary between admission cycles according to MEC decisions.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Question type | Single best response MCQs |
| Options | Four: A, B, C, D |
| Number of questions | 200 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Recall : Understanding : Application | 30 : 50 : 20 |
| Minimum qualifying score | 50% |
The entrance examination covers the broader MBBS knowledge base rather than General Surgery alone.
Clinical subjects account for 115 marks. Surgery carries 18 marks, while Medicine also carries 18. Other clinical areas include Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Anaesthesiology, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Dermatology.
Basic Medical Sciences contribute 60 marks through Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology.
The remaining areas include Community Medicine and Research Methodology, Forensic Medicine, and mandatory CPD topics such as medical ethics, rational use of drugs, infection prevention, BLS/ACLS, and communication skills.
General Surgery is one of the established departments at Maharajgunj Medical Campus.
The wider campus structure also includes Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology, Urology and Kidney Transplant Surgery, Orthopedics, Anaesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Radiology, Emergency Medicine, and other departments relevant to surgical education.
MMC began MS General Surgery in 1994 alongside the expansion of its postgraduate medical programs. The campus now conducts undergraduate medicine, MD/MS programs, allied health and dental education, and higher-specialty DM/MCh training.
MS General Surgery is a three-year full-time postgraduate surgical residency.
The program began in 1994.
Applicants require an MBBS or equivalent medical qualification, applicable medical council registration, the required experience, and qualification through the postgraduate entrance process.
Yes. Admission follows the Medical Education Commission postgraduate common entrance, merit, and matching framework.
Yes. Residents undertake thesis research during the residency, with thesis approval and submission forming part of the academic requirements.
Assessment includes internal evaluation, basic medical science assessment, thesis work and defense, theory examinations, oral examination, practical assessment, and OSCE-oriented evaluation.
