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| A nurse takes care of a mother and her new baby in a health post in Lamahi, Dang district. (Image courtsey: globalpost.com) |
A decentralized system of Governmental Health System exists on paper, and even the constitution guarantees Health as a human right in Nepal. However, the realities on ground speak a different story.
Access to Health
The majority of Nepalese do not have access to the health facility within a span of 30 minutes from their home due to difficult topography.
The majority of Nepalese do not have access to the health facility within a span of 30 minutes from their home due to difficult topography.
Add to that extreme poverty. Nepal is one of the most impoverished nations on the planet. The health system does not help, where you have put money out of your pockets. Nearly 70% of healthcare expenses in Nepal are out of pocket (World Health Statistics 2011, World Health Organization).
Add to that chronic mismanagement. Health care professionals tend to concentrate in Kathmandu and major towns and to see a doctor is a rare sight in the villages.
The Doctor to Population ratio is very low (on an average only 2.1 Doctors per Population of 10,000), so is the Nurses and midwives to Population ratio(on an average only 4.6 Nurses and midwives per 10,000) or any Health Care Professional to Population ratio.
Medical Colleges and Health Science Institutions are concentrated in the major cities and lack the community based approach. A substantial percentage of Doctors, Nurses and Health Care related Professionals leave Nepal for better managed and more lucrative health systems abroad.
Nepal's government owned drug industry is now non-functional and thus a number of Pharmaceutical companies have stepped up to fill in the gap, increasing woes to a largely poor populace.
Although there is a commitment by the Government of Nepal to provide Universal Health Care, lack of funding and infrastructure to achieve those goals has led to unfulfilled promises.
Health Sector in Nepal is mainly funded by External Agencies. Government of Nepal spends nearly six percentage of its budget on health. This investment is severely inadequate for the growing population.
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| A child in Western Hills with houseflies swarming onto his face. |
With all these problems Nepal's Health Statistics are obvious.
More than half of its children are malnourished. Forty-one percent of children under five years of age are stunted, 11 percent are wasted,and 29 percent are underweight and forty-six percent of children age 6-59 months are anemic (NDHS 2011).
Sanitation is a big problem.
More than half of its children are malnourished. Forty-one percent of children under five years of age are stunted, 11 percent are wasted,and 29 percent are underweight and forty-six percent of children age 6-59 months are anemic (NDHS 2011).
Sanitation is a big problem.
Very high proportion of mothers (380 in every 100 000) and babies die during childbirth.
The incidence of Infectious diseases is very high compared even with regional average, and disease outbreaks and epidemics are common.
There is an even bigger neglect for reproductive health and women in Nepal suffer from a range of reproductive health problems. Due to a large migrant population, besides other reasons, the number of HIV/AIDS infected populations is constantly increasing.
Future
But hopes abound.
Nepal has shown dramatic improvements in their health care services over the last few decades especially in the areas of maternal and child health.
A proper public health policy may just revolutionize the health care system in this nation.
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| The female community health volunteers have played a major role in the recent improvements seen the maternal and child health in the villages across Nepal. |
Nepal has shown dramatic improvements in their health care services over the last few decades especially in the areas of maternal and child health.
A proper public health policy may just revolutionize the health care system in this nation.
