Westminster College Students Win R-Hackathon 2025

Kupandole, Lalitpur. A student team from The Westminster College (TWC) has emerged as the winner of the Rotaract-Hackathon 2025, a community-impact-focused hackathon organised by the Rotaract Club of Kathmandu North in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Patan Durbar Square. The competition was held on 20 December 2025.

The winning team, Access Denied, comprised Saugat Bhattarai, Suprim Karki, Purnaman Rai, Prabin Khatri, and Nirmala Rai. Their project, SAHARA, was recognised for its outstanding innovation, effective teamwork, and impactful problem-solving.

SAHARA is a real-time emergency support system designed to address critical challenges during medical emergencies. The idea was developed after observing real-life situations where patients lose valuable time due to overcrowded hospitals, lack of information, and poor coordination. The system provides live hospital bed availability, intelligently routes patients to the nearest suitable facility, and helps reduce delays during the crucial “golden hour”.

The application also features a built-in first-aid guide to support immediate life-saving actions, an SOS function that contacts nearby ambulances while sharing live location data, and a blood request feature that connects hospitals with potential donors in the community.

Speaking about the project, team leader Saugat Bhattarai stated that SAHARA aims to bring guidance, speed, and coordination to emergency response by combining real-time data with smart routing and community support, making the system faster, more efficient, and more humane.

As the winning team, Access Denied received a cash prize of NPR 20,000 along with medals and certificates.

The Westminster College congratulates the members of Team Access Denied, as well as all participating students from the college, on their achievement and expresses confidence in their continued success in future endeavours.