The Himalayan Times
2 September 2021
Maternity hospitals
Nepal used to have one of the finest health delivery systems among the South Asian countries. The decision to establish sub health posts and health posts in all the then Village Development Committee (VDC) back in the 1970s was an extraordinary decision of the then government. Putting health personnel in all these health posts to serve the rural people at their door steps was challenging, however, they were successfully assigned and had started providing basic health services to the rural population.
In each health post, a combination of health staff such as the Auxiliary Health Worker (AHW) at the sub-health post land Health Worker (HW) at the health post lever together with the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) made up an excellent team of qualified health human resources. They provided basic health services to the visiting patients in a professional manner. Medicines, as authorized by the government, were made freely available to the visiting patients from these health service outlets. This great health delivery system, however, was badly affected during the 10-year-long so-called insurgency launched by the then Maoists.
However, it was encouraging to read the news 'All provinces to get hospital for maternity services soon' (THT, August 31, Page 2) at a time when there are no such separate hospitals out at the district and provincial level apart from the Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Thapathali, Kathmandu. If the present government is seriously planning to expand service related to maternity and gynaecology by building hospitals in all the seven provinces, this will be a historic milestone in the health delivery system of the countrey. It is yet to be seen how serious the government is in fulfilling its promises in the days to come.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
PAGE 8
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