OUTSTANDING BARTLEYANS

SSP (Retd) Dr. Megh Bahadur Gurung MBBS, MS
HIV/AIDS Policy Adviser
UN Peacekeeping Best Practices Section (PBPS)
Division of Policy, Evaluation & Training (DPET)
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)
United Nations HQ, New York, USA
Class of 1963 – 1966

With his wife Dr Barathi Yakthumba Gurung (right)

The Gurkha Peace Warrior.

Dr. Megh Bahadur Gurung s/o late Indrasing Gurung, a ‘total’ Bartleyan, attended Bartley Primary as the two schools were then adjacent on the boundary of the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police.  Later, he “crossed over the ‘longkang’ “ to adjoining Bartley Secondary. An active member of the Science Circle and the Literary, Debating and Dramatic Society (LDDS), he represented Bartley Secondary in Inter-School debates and quiz’s. He was in both the School Junior and Senior Hockey Teams and participated in the Inter-District School Hockey Tournaments. Megh was one of the first Gurkha Prefects of Bartley. He remembers taking part in National Day celebrations in the Padang.
After his O Levels he chose to go back to Nepal and completed college studies from ASCOL, the premier Science College in Kathmandu. He donned College Hockey colours, participated in Inter-college debates, quiz contests and was elected President of the ASCOL Students Union. Megh had early determination not to wield a ‘khukuri’ in Gurkha warrior tradition, but to wield a scalpel instead as a Surgeon one day. He won a scholarship to and graduated as a Medical Doctor from the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU in India. He was a member of the IMS hockey team that lifted the All UP Inter-Medical Hockey Trophy three times in a row.
Beginning his career as a National Police Academy graduate, Dr. Megh Gurung was commissioned Police Inspector Medical Officer (MO) of Nepal Police. He was MO to the first Nepal Police Environmental Cleanup Expedition of Mt. Everest (1984) and readily undertook numerous humanitarian response and disaster management duties all over Nepal. In 1989, Dr. Megh was deputed to undertake the four-year Master of Surgery (MS) course at the Postgraduate Medical Institute, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan; submitted his Thesis on Thyroid Surgery and specialized in General & Trauma Surgery.

He applied the surgical knowledge and skills to save and salvage hundreds of lives as Nepal’s first War Surgeon during the decade-long (1996-2006) internal conflict in Nepal. Along with a number of national medals, SP Dr. Megh Gurung was awarded and received the prestigious Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (IV Class) from late King Birendra Shah of Nepal in 1999 for extraordinary services and duties rendered during the Maoist ‘People’s War.
In 2001, SP Dr. Megh was selected by the UN and as National Commander led the Nepal Police Contingent to the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) as a UN Peacekeeper. He served alongside over 1400 Civilian Police Officers (CIVPOLs) from 43 countries and was Chief, Professional Standards / Audit & Evaluation, then Chief of Administration and ended his mission as the UN CIVPOL Deputy Commissioner of Administration – a first for Nepal Police. He is a proud recipient of the UN Medal -In the Service of Peace.
After returning to Nepal, SP Dr. Megh Gurung continued his passion and commitment to work in the challenging issues of HIV / AIDS and the Uniformed Services both nationally and internationally. As Member Secretary of the Nepal Police HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Task Force he worked closely with national entities, community-based organizations of vulnerable groups, I/NGOs and multilateral agencies to carry out sensitization, advocacy, comprehensive HIV/AIDS related policies, programmes, work plans, training activities and VCCT services including development of HIV/AIDS training curricula. He was leader of the High Level Nepal Police HIV Study Team to Cambodia and Thailand in 2004 and represented Nepal Police at the XV World AIDS Conference (Bangkok).
Chief Police Surgeon SSP Dr. Megh B. Gurung took voluntary retirement in April 2007 from Nepal Police after a distinguished 23-year career.  Upon global selection, he takes up his current appointment as the HIV/AIDS Policy Adviser to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) at United Nations HQ, New York. 
In mid-2007 Dr. Megh was invited to visit his Alma Mater in Singapore at its current Jalan Bunga Rampai location. He had a wonderful visit and a memorable interactive session with the Gurkhali students who form 15% of the student body – making Bartley, according to his words, “THE Gurkhali School in Singapore!”
Dr. Megh Gurung is married to Chief Physician SSP (R) Dr. Bharati Yakthumba Gurung and they reside in New York. They have a daughter, Dr. Nirvana (a graduate of FJ Women’s College, Lahore, like her Mum) and son Siddhartha Y. Gurung who attends Queens College, CUNY, USA.

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