Call for Application for a PhD Fellowship

Call for Application for a PhD Fellowship

Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA) in collaboration with the University of Bergen

The Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA) is a leading non-governmental, non-profit professional organization established in 1998, committed to advancing the field of health economics and supporting evidence-based health policy in Nepal. Our work focuses on health economics, financing, policy, and health systems, often in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), academic institutions, and international technical partners. 

NHEA in collaboration with the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS), University of Bergen (UiB) has been implementing a number of health systems projects around priority setting in health and working towards supporting the Government of Nepal in expanding access to and coverage of constitutionally mandated basic health care services (BHS) in Nepal. In line with studying legal, constitutional, and policy aspects of BHS and its interrelated dynamics with service provision, availability and coverage, we are excited to invite applications from qualified and motivated professionals to join our team as a PhD research fellow.

PhD Position:

Legal Dimensions of Essential Health Care Services in LMICs (with a Case Focus on Nepal)

Overview:

The incumbent as a PhD fellow affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine at UiB will study the legal architecture governing essential health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The project will examine legal provisions, policy positions, and the dynamics of service provision, availability, and coverage, with Nepal as a primary case study for basic health services. The candidate will produce a paper-based thesis (three publishable papers) that advances the legal and ethical scholarship on the right to health, universal health coverage (UHC), and priority-setting in resource-constrained settings.

Project Focus: 

The PhD project will investigate how national constitutions, statutes, regulations, and policy instruments define and operationalize essential/basic health services, and how these frameworks interact with implementation realities (e.g., financing, service delivery, entitlements, accountability).

Key themes may include (non-exhaustive):

• Legitimacy of legal definitions, entitlements and regulations of essential/basic health services in LMICs.
• Constitutional and statutory guarantees of the right to health and their justiciability.
• Coverage and availability, how legal frameworks translate into service access (benefit packages, coverage decisions, inclusion of underserved groups).
• Accountability and remedies, administrative/judicial mechanisms, grievance redressal, and regulatory oversight.
• Discretion in applying the legal framework, examine the possible tension between predictability and contextual justice, for instance tied to automatization of legal decisions.  
• Comparative analysis across LMICs, with Nepal as a core case; around approaches and processes including healthcare prioritization for ensuring essential/basic health services.
• Symbolic legislation and sanctions, a legal analysis of how symbolic legislation and weak enforcement affect both citizens’ ability to claim essential/basic health services and administrators’ duties to justify decisions, and what sanctioning frameworks best promote equitable prioritization.

Training & degree requirements (UiB):

• The candidate must take part in the UiB approved PhD program leading to a completed doctorate within a time limit of 3 years. You must have admission to the organised research training (PhD program) at the faculty in order to qualify for the PhD position. Application for admission to the PhD program, including a project protocol, must be submitted no later than three months after the date of commencement. 
• The PhD fellow should complete a coursework equivalent to 30 ECTS including research dissemination. The thesis will be a paper-based thesis including three peer-reviewed papers, which will form the basis for PhD defence. 
• The PhD candidate will be affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine, at UiB and will fully complete his/her academic requirements as per the requirements of the University. 
• The position will be based at NHEA, with the requirement of spending around 1-3 months each year at UiB during the PhD program.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Required:
  • Master’s degree in law (LL.M. or equivalent) or Philosophy,  qualifying for PhD admission.
  • Strong grounding in public law, health law, human rights law, or related fields.
  • Excellent analytical and academic writing skills (in English).
  • A Nepalese citizen. 
• Desirable: 
  • Training on economics, health economics, public health or public policy will be considered as and added advantage.
  • Familiarity with health policy, global health, or UHC/priority-setting debates.
  • Experience with comparative legal methods and/or empirical legal research.
  • Experience of the Nepalese health care delivery system. (Regional knowledge of South Asia/LMICs is a plus).
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.

What we offer:

• Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment.
• A PhD fellowship for the period of 3 years (36 months).
• All expenses covered and an additional living allowance for the period at UiB. 
• Support for relevant conference and other academic participations.

Your application must include:

• A brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position (maximum two pages).
• A concept note (maximum four pages) in one of the above themes or any other related themes matching the PhD position.
• An updated CV with at least two referees.
• A complete list of publications and scientific work you want to be evaluated.
• Applicants whose education is from a country other than Norway, it is compulsory for the applicant to enclose a review from NOKUT to document whether the required education in question (master’s degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. See details here Apply for recognition of your foreign higher education | HK-dir. The PhD admission will be dependent on receiving the recognition of your previous academic degree on which basis you are applying for the PhD position.

Application submission and deadline:

Submit your application by including the specified documents to nhea.nepal@gmail.com. 

Deadline: 12 March 2026 

Please clearly mention in the subject line of your email “Application for PhD Position”

Only short-listed candidates will be called for further screening process.