Moin Shah

Moin Shah (Nepali: डा. मोइन शाह) was a Nepali physician and educator, best known as the founding dean of the Institute of Medicine (IoM) at Tribhuvan University, where he developed medical education with a focus on community-oriented healthcare.

Moin Shah
Born	1934 (1934) Chhetrapati, Kathmandu District, Nepal
Died	July 25, 2016(2016-07-25) (aged 81–82) Kathmandu, Nepal
Nationality	Nepali
Education	MBBS, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India
Occupation(s)	Physician, Educator, Surgeon

Early life and education

Moin Shah was born into a merchant family in Chhetrapati, Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1934. He topped his School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination, securing the "Board First" in 1949. After completing his secondary education, he attended Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu before enrolling at Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. Shah earned his MBBS degree in 1958 and later became a fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, for advanced medical training and specialization in surgery.

Career

In 1972, Shah was appointed the founding dean of the Institute of Medicine (IoM) under Tribhuvan University, established to address Nepal's need for indigenous medical education. Before IoM, aspiring Nepali doctors had to travel to India or other countries for medical studies, leading to a shortage of trained physicians in Nepal. Shah launched courses for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Community Medical Assistants, to develop community-oriented medical education.

Shah believed that medical students should understand and address the health challenges faced by rural and underserved populations. To tailor IoM's curriculum to local needs, Shah conducted health surveys in various districts, including Bara, Nuwakot, Dhankuta, and Surkhet to assess disease patterns and community health priorities, informing a curriculum focused on problem-solving, systematic instruction, and integrated teaching—approaches that were innovative at the time.

In 1978, Shah enrolled the first batch of 22 medical students in IoM's MBBS program, developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop the curriculum.

In 1981, Shah left Nepal for Saudi Arabia after being sidelined by IoM, the institution he helped establish. Although he returned to Nepal several times and offered to teach without compensation, his applications were denied.

According to Arjun Karki, former Vice-Chancellor of the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Shah was a "true pioneer" who could have further advanced Nepal's medical sector had he been allowed to fully implement his ideas.

Death

Shah died on July 25, 2016 at the age of 82, after a rapid health decline due to an unknown complication.