Health care in Nepal: An observational perspective

Abstract

Nepal is one of the several poor developing countries in the world that faces significant challenges in providing universal health coverage and equitable medical care.  By coordinating with the Nepal Critical Care Foundation, two weeks of observation was conducted in Kathmandu during March 2016. The aim was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the basic living conditions of the population and identify major barriers that the healthcare system is currently facing in providing quality patient care.  Some of the key barriers identified were lack of regulation of hospitals in terms of quality assurance and accreditation, poor demand and supply of services such as workforce and essential medications, poor access to health care facilities in rural areas, and lack of funding for the poor. One of the most important lessons learnt was that nationwide protocols, policies, and legislation needs to be established as well as properly enforced in order to create and drive any sort of meaningful change.