Significant Progress in Nepal’s Health Sector, International Cooperation Needed for Further Improvement

Nepal Health News, Kathmandu: Minister for Health and Population, Pradeep Poudel, stated that Nepal has made remarkable progress in various health indicators over the last three decades, including the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

Addressing the 58th opening session of the Population and Development Commission held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Minister Poudel expressed Nepal's commitment to strengthening its health system and providing health services to every citizen.

According to him, Nepal has achieved satisfactory results in the development of skilled health personnel, expansion of family planning services, reduction in reproductive capacity, a decrease in adolescent birth rates, and a reduction in child marriages. However, to maintain these achievements and reach even higher levels, international cooperation and solidarity are essential, Minister Poudel emphasized.

He mentioned that Nepal is still facing challenges due to inadequate health infrastructure in rural areas, limited budgets, and per capita health expenditure being lower than the international average. Furthermore, he highlighted the need to develop a resilient health system to tackle new health challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters.

“A system that can quickly respond in emergency situations due to climate change and natural disasters is the need of the hour,” Minister Poudel clarified. He also mentioned that developing countries like Nepal still feel an urgent need for development aid.

The Nepalese government, according to him, is focusing on expanding access to health services with international cooperation as well as private sector investment. "It is essential to increase the participation of the private sector in health so that services, which the state cannot fully provide, can be extended through public participation," Minister Poudel added.

During his visit to New York, Minister Poudel, who is leading the Nepalese delegation, is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with representatives from various countries and meet with the Nepali community to gather suggestions for improving health services, according to Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa.