Special health approach necessary for deprived communities: NA Vice Chair

National Assembly (NA) Vice-Chair Urmila Aryal has underlined the need of policy-level provisions to bring special programmes targeting those communities lacking access to healthcare services.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Concern and Coordination Committee today, the NA Vice-Chair echoed the need of bringing programmes capable of ensuring access of the Dum community in the Terai and the Raute community to health services. Committee President Dil Kumari Rawal expressed her gratitude to the government for implementing the Committee suggestions during COVID-19 and dengue pandemic. As she briefed, they were making efforts to for legal and structural improvements in the relevant field.

While giving his presentation, health expert Dr Sushil Baral highlighted the need of an integrated approach from the central to local level for healthy human and livestock life and for environmental quality. According to him, responses to health crisis were based on the ad-hoc approach and a clear strategy and substantive actions are required to deal with the issue. He added that despite the claim for better immunization system in Nepal, latest measles outbreak in Nepalgunj was itself a lesson for us. “Advanced system, wider approach and programmes are necessary to deal with health emergency at any time.”

Earlier in the meeting, the Committee members stressed the need for making practical procedure and rules for reforms in the health sector. Health service should be delivered at least 30 minutes away from the residence of service seekers. But, there is not such health facility in the country. There are more than 138,000 rural health clinics, over 16,500 vaccination centers and 6,743 health institutions at local levels in the country, according to data presented in the meeting. Each of seven provinces has a federal hospital and an infectious disease hospital.

Similarly, each of six of seven provinces excluding Sudurpaschim Province has at least a health science academy. Of the total 264,843 doctors in the country, 26,000 have been associated with the Council. Similarly, 95,000 nurses have been associated with it. There are the total 31,592 quotas of health workers in the government agencies across the country. But, female community health volunteers have played their part in community health service. Over 51,000 female community health volunteers have been mobilised at the community level across the country. Health workforce numbered over 165,700 is required in the country by 2030, it has been estimated.