Name of Head of Department:  Dr. Gopal Kumar Chaudhary, MD

Department Introduction/Description:

The Department of Forensic Medicine is a specialized division within the broader field of Medicine that focuses on the investigation of deaths, particularly those that are sudden, unexpected, or legally significant. This department plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between medicine and law, utilizing advanced medical knowledge and techniques to determine the cause and manner of death in various circumstances.

History: This Department was shouldered with the responsibility of providing all the medico-legal services for the whole of the Kathmandu District in mid-Bhadra 2057 B.S., after the government transferred these services from the Bir Hospital to the Institute of Medicine. Professor Sudhamsu Sharma was the first Head of this department, followed by Professor Pramod Kumar Shrestha and Professor Tulsi Kadel. It is worthwhile to mention that Dr Harihar Wasti, of the Health Ministry, was also deputed to this department since Professor Sharma had already been deputed to the BPKIH as the Rector there. The teaching, training and services at this department dramatically improved when the department was lucky to have Professor A J Chapman, a forensic pathologist from the US, here at the department from 1998 to 2008.

The Present: The number of autopsies performed in the first year here, from mid-2057 to mid-2058 – was 750, and this number has risen to 1850 in the last year, from mid-Bhadra 2080 to mid-Bhadra 2081. Thus, the overall work load at the department at present is at least three times as much as it was in 2057-2058, while the manpower at the department is still what it was 24 years ago! We continue that this situation will soon be rectified for the better.

The MD Forensic Medicine program at this Department started in 2009. To date, 24 Forensic Medicine MDs have been trained at this Department and four MD residents are at present undergoing the training.   

Key Functions of the Department:

Autopsies and Clinical Forensic Medical Examinations: The department conducts medico-legal autopsies to uncover the cause of death. These examinations can reveal critical information about injuries, diseases, or toxic substances that may have contributed to a person’s death. The department provides medico-legal clinical services as well: alleged sexual assault examination, age estimation and injury examination.

Medico-Legal Investigations: The department is involved in investigating deaths that have legal implications, such as apparent homicides, suicides, accidents, suspicious deaths, death due to Medical Negligence and deaths in custody. The attempt to identify the large number of unidentified bodies received is another responsibility of the department.

Collaboration with Law Enforcement: The Forensic Medicine experts at the department work closely with the police, detectives, prosecutors and defense lawyers and the judges. Their final reports, referred to during the regular court summons in their capacity as expert witness, provide analysis and evidence that can be pivotal in criminal investigations and court cases.

Research and Development: The department is also engaged in research to advance the field of Forensic Medicine. This includes studying new techniques for post-mortem analysis, understanding emerging trends in causes of death and improving methods for identifying deceased individuals.

Training and Education: The Department of Forensic Medicine plays a vital role in teaching medical students (MD, MBBS, BDS, BAMS, B.Sc. MLT), pathology residents, MDGP residents, and law enforcement officers (government prosecutors, Nepal Police personnel and judges). This ensures that the next generation of professionals is equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out forensic investigations.

Disaster Victim Identification (DVI): The department follows international guidelines, using The Interpol DVI Guide, in the DVI investigations of air crashes and other natural disaster like earthquakes. This ensures a standardized and effective approach to identifying victims in the aftermath of disasters.

Public Health Contributions: Beyond its immediate forensic medicine duties, the department contributes to public health by identifying patterns in causes of death, which can inform public health policies and prevention strategies.

Importance to Society:

The Department of Forensic Medicine is essential for helping ensure that deaths are scientifically investigated, justice is served and public safety is maintained. Its work not only helps solve crimes but also provides closure to families, aids in the prevention of future deaths and contributes to the advancement of medical, medico-legal and forensic medicine in the country.

Department Vision, Mission and Goals:

Forensic Medicine is a specialized branch of medicine that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining deceased individuals. The mission of Forensic Medicine encompasses several key objectives:

Determine Cause of Death: Forensic Doctor conduct autopsies to identify the cause of death, whether it’s due to natural causes, trauma, poisoning, or other factors.

Establish Manner of Death: The manner of death can be grouped into categories such as natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal or undetermined, providing critical insights for legal and investigative purposes with the help of Forensic Medical Doctors.

Assist in Criminal Investigations: By providing expert testimony and detailed reports, Forensic Medical Doctor support law enforcement agencies and the judicial system in criminal investigations and legal proceedings.

Identify Deceased Individuals: Various techniques are used to identify unidentified bodies that are decomposed, skeletonized, fragmented and charred as in air crashes or exhumed.

Advance Medical Science: Forensic Medicine contribute to medical knowledge by studying patterns of disease, injury and death, which can lead to advancements in public health and forensic techniques.

Educate and Train: Preparing future medical officers and specialists, law enforcement officers and legal professionals about forensic medicine and its applications is a prime responsibility of this department.

Providing Closure with maintaining dignity of the Dead: By a timely and thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding a death, Forensic Medicine especially helps families, and the communities as a whole, to understand what really happened and to come to term with the untimely death of a family member. Overall, the mission of Forensic Medicine is to apply medical expertise to legal questions, ensuring that justice is served and public health is protected by maintaining utmost respect and dignity of the dead.

Department faculty members

S.N.	Full Name	Designation	Full Academic Qualifications	Joined year
1	Dr. Gopal Kumar Chaudhary	Head of Department	M.D in Forensic Medicine	2013
2	Dr. Eugen Dolma Walung	Lecturer	M.D in Forensic Medicine	2013
3	Dr. Mani Raj Maharjan	Lecturer	M.D in Forensic Medicine	2014

Department staff members (MMC appointed staff only, not from hospitals/centers):

S.N.	Name	Designation
1	Sunil Thapa Magar	Mortuary Helper
2	Suresh Lama	Mortuary Helper

Academic programs and students educated/trained each year/total

Level	S.N.	Program name
Bachelor	1	MBBS	Yes
	2	BDS	Yes
	3	BScMIT	Yes
	4	BAMS	Yes
Masters	5	MD	Yes

List of Autopsy service and Clinical Forensic Medicine services provided and Number of patients served

Autopsy examination	1850 cases per year
Forensic Age Estimation	50 cases per year
Examination of Alleged Rape Victim	50 cases per year
Examination of Alleged Perpetrator of Sexual Assault	10 cases per year
Examination of Victim of Physical Assault	30 cases per year
Examination of Victim of Human Right Violence	10 cases per year

Research activities of the faculties/department

Two research studies completed and submitted for publication

Two research studies on-going.

Two research proposals submitted