Message from President
Prof. Dr. Rohit Kumar Pokharel
It has now been twenty-five glorious years for Nepal Orthopedic Association (NOA) to institutionalize the Orthopaedic services in Nepal. Orthopedic services started in Nepal in the seventies, but it was only in 1995 that NOA was officially registered in the government and organized its first annual conference that year. That was the time when there were less than twenty orthopedic surgeons in the country, the number which has now splendidly increased to more than four hundred, and every year 30 – 40 young and energetic orthopedic surgeons are joining from within the country and abroad. During these 25 years, we have grown not only in numbers, but our service has extended to different parts of the country. Added to this is the development of the super-specialty in different fields of orthopedic surgery. We appreciate the hard work of our seniors who initiated this platform for sharing knowledge and skills among colleagues and associates for better care of orthopedic patients. Start of post-graduate training in the country has been a great achievement in proving quality service, academics, and research in the field of orthopedic science. Difficult geography of the country and existing infrastructures makes our country prone to trauma. Musculoskeletal infections including tuberculosis are still a great challenge. With an increasing life expectancy of our people, there is a rise in degenerative diseases. Musculoskeletal neoplasm, inflammatory and congenital disorders are also not uncommon. We hereby believe that the country needs more trained orthopedics, not only in cities but also in rural areas of the country. Collaboration with different regional and international organizations/ institutions has not only broadened our knowledge and skills but has opened a forum to share our experiences. We feel honored by the regular presence of seniors and renowned professors and orthopedic surgeons from different parts of the world in our conferences and hope that it will be continued in future also. We, therefore, would like to continue collaborating with orthopedic associations of different countries, regionally and globally.
Thank You
Rohit Pokharel
President
Nepal Orthopaedics Association
