Today we were privileged to recognise and celebrate the 40 years of service which Dr Olak Jirel has given to UMN and our hospitals as a surgeon and later in administration. Thapathali headquarters’ staff gathered in the garden with Dr Olak and his wife Jasmine to celebrate the whole career which he has given to UMN. In fact Dr Olak’s connection with UMN goes back to 1972 – 50 years ago! That year, he succeeded in gaining a UMN scholarship for his final years of school (+2/sixth form). Dr Olak officially finished with UMN on 18 July 2022.
He started working at United Mission Hospital Tansen in 1982 as a surgeon, for 23 years. He then continued to serve UMN’s two hospitals (in Tansen and Okhaldhunga) in a different role before finally moving to UMN headquarters where he served as the Director of Hospital Services for 14 years. We laughed at how Dr Olak was asked to stay one more year and then another year (beyond retiral age) to help the hospitals reach a more secure footing, ultimately with the UMN Medical and Development Trust formed in late 2020 and the hospitals’ agreements with their provincial governments.
Many staff shared their appreciation of his humility, patience, and personal encouragement in their lives. We enjoyed the time of sharing in the garden and give grateful thanks to Dr Olak for completing four decades of service with UMN. God’s blessings for your retirement!