Common Health Problems in Nepal

September 18, 2019

Before we get started on this topic let us first get the overall glimpse of poverty index of Nepal.

1. 25.2% of the population are below the national poverty threshold according to 2010 census.
2. The ratio of employed population below $1.90 purchasing power parity a day in 2010 is 15%.
3. For every 1,000 babies born in here 34 die before their fifth birthday.
4. Human Development Index (HDI) has increased to 0.458 in 2011 from 0.291 in 1975. Which is a real slow increment.
5. Even though mortality rate during childbirth deceased from 850 out of 100,000 mothers in 1990 to 190 out of 100,000 mothers in 2013 the rate of decrease is not satisfactory.
6. Mortality under the age of five decreased from 61.5 per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 31.4 per 1,000 live births in 2018.
7. Infant Mortality decreased from 97.70 in 1990 to 29.40 in 2015.
8. Child malnutrition: Stunting 37%, wasting 11%, and underweight 30% among children under the age of five.
9. Life Expectancy rose from 66 years in 2005 to 71.5 years in 2018.

Health services in Nepal are provided by both private and public sectors. Unfortunately both of these institutions have equal amount of problems. Private sectors are considered to provide reliable health care but they charge really big sum of money which is immediately unaffordable for majority of Nepalese people. On the other hand government health provides are conspired to be in efficient in context of services and equipment.

According to the 2002 census government invested approximately Rs 250 in health care for each individual. This was only 30% of total health care expenditure for each person. Rest of 70% money came from patient's pocket. This figure increased to approximately Rs 14,000 per person in 2014. Which was still insufficient. Considering the amount of tax we pay we can still expect more quality and assistance form government in health sector.

As mentioned above health care services, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation in Nepal is pathetically poor and unable to reach every nook and corners particularly in rural areas. Poor people have limited access to health services because of geographical difficulties, high cost, lack of education and conflicting traditional beliefs.

Malnutrition especially for the children under the age of 5 has been a major problem. A report from DHS 2016, has shown that in Nepal, 36% of children are stunted (below -2 standard deviation), 12% are severely stunted (below -3 standard deviation), 27% of children under 5 are underweight, and 5% are severely underweight. Variation in the percentage of stunted and underweight children under 5 can be compared between urban and rural regions of Nepal, with rural areas being more affected (40% stunted and 31% underweight) than urban areas (32% stunted and 23% underweight). Micro-nutrient deficiencies are widespread, with almost half of pregnant women and children under five, as well as 35% of women of reproductive age, being anaemic. Only 24% of children consume iron-rich food, 24% of children meet a minimally acceptable diet, and only half of the pregnant women take recommended iron supplementation during pregnancy. A contributing factor to deteriorating nutrition is high diarrheal disease morbidity, exacerbated by the lack of access to proper sanitation and the common practice of open defecation (44%) in Nepal.

Politics has largely influenced health sector of Nepal. Major cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara have been center of health facilities which is causing social isolation with other parts of country. The 1999 Local Self Governance Act aimed to include devolution of basic services such as health, drinking water, and rural infrastructure but the program has not provided notable public health improvements. Due to a lack of political will, Nepal has failed to achieve complete decentralisation, thus limiting its political, social and physical potential.

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 , the leading causes of morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) in Nepal are: