SWU PHINMA achieves 100% Passing Rate in Nepal Medical Board Exams

All eighteen Nepalese graduates of Southwestern University PHINMA’s (SWU PHINMA) batch of July 2020 attained a 100% passing rate in their home country’s recently concluded Medical Council Licensure Examination. The newly licensed doctors are among the 50.9% of takers who passed the exams in August 2021.

Established in 1951, SWU PHINMA takes pride in being the first medical school outside Manila. It has a longstanding reputation of training and educating physicians from different parts of the world, now home to international students coming from 37 countries across 5 continents. Since 2019, SWU PHINMA has had the most number of Nepalese students out of all the universities in the country.

“SWU PHINMA in Cebu City was our second home for the past seven years. We went there with the aim of becoming medical doctors which we have finally accomplished. As we indulged in the lively school atmosphere and the hospitable Cebuano culture, we never knew seven years had already passed. We all are proud to have SWU PHINMA as our alma mater,” said Dr. Binod Rijal, former President of SWU PHINMA International Student Association.

SWU PHINMA’s international students benefit from a safe campus environment, comfortable study spaces, up-to-date medical libraries and facilities, and activities that celebrate their respective cultures. “Whether it be studies or other activities like celebrating our Nepali New Year here, my experience was definitely fun and memorable,” remarked Dr. Saiby Pandey. I will always miss the hospitality of the Cebuanos, the seafood and of course the beautiful beaches.”

Albert L. Gamboa, Chief Operations Officer of SWU PHINMA, explained that the university considers its international student population and their licensure examination results a major indication of the university’s quality of education. He continued, “We strive to keep our standards high and our resources and facilities world-class for the benefit of all our students. We are overjoyed for our eighteen Nepalese graduates, as well as our recent topnotchers and passers of the Philippine 2020 Physician Licensure Exams.”

In the October 2020 Physician Licensure Examinations, three SWU PHINMA graduates namely Dr. April Jean Gapo, Dr. Jessah April Naingue, and Dr. Carren Emirose Solidor placed 8th, 9th, and 10th respectively. SWU PHINMA was the only Cebu-based medical school with graduates included in the top 10. The university had an 80% passing rate for its first-time takers.

“Our mission is to make lives better through education. We hope that our graduates will likewise make lives better as they begin their careers as licensed physicians, wherever they may find themselves in the world,” continued Gamboa. And indeed, he is not far off. Dr. Jagadish Thapa of Batch 2020 for instance said, “Right now, I am planning to go to rural areas of my country and work there. After working for a while, I want to pursue my residency in Orthopedics Surgery and become one of the best in Nepal, so that I can make a difference in the lives of my countrymen.”

SWU PHINMA in Cebu City, acquired by PHINMA Education in 2014, works with NorthFACE International Educational Consultancy to bring aspiring doctors from Nepal to study in the Philippines. PHINMA Education owns and operates nine colleges and universities across the Philippines and manages one in West Java, Indonesia through Horizon Education. It has an 80% average first-time passing rate for licensure exams with some 82% of students getting hired within a year of graduation. It has had 104 Filipino board exam topnotchers since its inception in 2004.

For more information, visit www.swu.edu.ph/medicine or inquire at 0966-9914547.