Public Health
Public health system of Nepal is far from being robust. The country faces various challenges in the sector of public health such as poor infrastructure, lack of skilled manpower and health facilities. Numerous non-government organizations have been working to raise awareness among the public on health and have launched projects on sanitation and health care. The Government of Nepal has been running various health programs such as Reproductive and Maternal Health Program, Free Health Program, Child Health Services and programs to control various communicable diseases.
Given the rough terrain of the country, health facilities in rural parts of the country lack basic amenities. Health professionals are reluctant to render service in rural areas. Health facilities in rural Nepal face the dearth of medical equipment, medicines and health workers. People in rural parts are deprived of clean drinking water whereas land and air pollution are growing problems in urban areas of the country including the capital city, Kathmandu. Major public health issues of the country are childhood diseases, water and air pollution, maternal health, sexually transmitted disease and mental health, among others. SAIPAL has conducted nation-wide surveys on public health issues like reproductive health and adolescent friendly services to produce empirical reports.
