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Article History

Received: 27 September 2018

Accepted: 12 February 2019

First Online: 20 February 2019

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: Approval was obtained from the Nepal Health Research Council (472/2017). Written and verbal consent was obtained in Nepali for healthcare workers participating in the program evaluation.

: This manuscript contains no individual person’s data in any form.

: PA, AA, DC, BD, SD, BG, TG, SH, SK, UK, PR, AThapa, and ATiwari are employed by and SMehanni, LW, BA, MB, GD, AK, DM, SMaru, VN, MS, RS, SS, RW, WW, and DS work in partnership with a nonprofit healthcare company (<i>Possible</i>) that delivers free healthcare in rural Nepal using funds from the Government of Nepal and other public, philanthropic, and private foundation sources. SMehanni, LW, BA, GD, VN, MS, and RW were employed at a public university (University of California, San Francisco). SMehanni, LW, GD, BG, VN, PR, MS, and RW are fellows with a bidirectional fellowship program (HEAL Initiative) that is affiliated with a public university (University of California, San Francisco) that receives funding from public, philanthropic, and private foundation sources. SMehanni works in partnership with a public medical center (Gallup Indian Medical Center) that is managed using public sector funding through the Indian Health Services. LW is employed by a medical center (Tuba City Regional Health Care) that is managed using public sector funding through the Indian Health Services. MB is a faculty member at a private university (B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences). DC is a faculty member at, and DC and SH are employed part-time at a public university (University of Washington). SK is a student at a private university (Eastern University). GD is employed part-time at a public medical center (Natividad Medical Center). AK is a medical student, and DM and SMaru are faculty members at a private university (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai). DM is a non-voting member on <i>Possible</i>’s Board of Directors, a position for which he receives no compensation. SS is an employee of the Government of Nepal (National Health Training Centre). RS and DS are employed at an academic medical center (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) that receives public sector research funding, as well as revenue through private sector fee-for-service medical transactions and private foundation grants. RS and DS are faculty member at a private university (Harvard Medical School). RS is employed at an academic medical center (Massachusetts General Hospital) that receives public sector research funding, as well as revenue through private sector fee-for-service medical transactions and private foundation grants. WW is employed at an academic medical center (Boston Medical Center) that receives public sector research funding, as well as revenue through private sector fee-for-service medical transactions and private foundation grants. WW is employed at a private university (Boston University School of Medicine). DS is employed at an academic medical center (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) that receives public sector research funding, as well as revenue through private sector fee-for-service medical transactions and private foundation grants. DS is affiliated with a research center (Ariadne Labs) that is jointly supported by an academic medical center (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and a private university (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) via public sector research funding and private philanthropy. All authors have read and understood BMC Medical Education’s policy on declaration of interests, and declare that we have no competing financial interests. The authors do, however, believe strongly that healthcare is a public good, not a private commodity.

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