However, the devastating earthquake has deprived thousands of people of basic health care services for over three weeks. Over 700 health facilities, including five district hospitals, have been completely destroyed in the earthquake.Officials at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said that they are working to resume health care services within a month by setting up tents, as there is no other alternative in the existing situation. To make this possible, they have also been coordinating with donors agencies.
However, health experts said the devastating earthquake will cause a huge setback. "They said it would not be easy to run health services from makeshift tents," said Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, a health expert. He claimed that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to revive the health sector at a time when the entire government machinery has been impaired.
According to Dr Upreti, the government's monitoring system has been severely impaired and there is no condition for health workers to stay in the remote villages. He said a new vision is required to resume the much-needed health services.
"We expect more home deliveries post quake. So we have decided to provide delivery kits to local health workers like female community health volunteers (FCHVs)," said Dr Silu Aryal, focal person for safe motherhood program being run by the Family Health Division (FHD).
She said the quake has adversely affected maternal health program and the overall health achievements. "We have also decided to provide medicine to FCHVs," she added.
According to Aryal, eight auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) were killed in the quake and there is no condition to resume health facilities at the local level. Moreover, there is no trained manpower to provide safe delivery services at the local level.
"They said that it is possible to resume health services from makeshift tents, but I am skeptical about its effectiveness," said Dr Baburam Marasini, director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD). He said that there is no safe place for the health workers to live in the remote VDCs.
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