The cabinet approval has paved the way for the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to launch an integrated health program in Jajarkot, Mugu, Bajura, Rukum, Taplejung, Kapilvastu, Rautahat and Siraha districts. The MoHP has planned to spend around Rs 2.5 million for carrying out various health programs in each of these districts. [break]
According to Dr Yeshobardan Pradhan, Director General of the Department of Health and Services (DoHS), the MoHP has already allocated budget for five hill districts that were selected for the program in the initial phase of planning. Three Tarai districts were later incorporated into the program just a few days before it was tabled in the cabinet.
“We are still figuring out what kind of programs could be effective in the Tarai districts,” Dr Pradhan said. “We will allocate money for these districts soon after our groundwork is complete.” Dr Pradhan said that the MoHP has managed budget for this program exclusively through internal resources.
According to an official at MoHP, they are also planning to use the unused budget sanctioned for some other programs in the current fiscal year. “Several programs failed to materialize this year due to political instability,” he said. “We are eying the budget sanctioned for those unimplemented programs.”
Three focuses
The integrated health program -- which was originally conceptualized in the course of discussing ways for preventing the outbreak of disease, especially in summer and rainy seasons -- mainly focuses on containing epidemics, improving maternal health and immunizing children.
According to Dr Bishwa Raj Khanal, senior epidemiologist at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, one of the main objectives of the integrated health program is to mobilize community groups in containing epidemics before they reach full-blown proportions. “Mobilizing community in health programs has of course become a buzz word among us for a long time,” Dr Khanal said. “But, we have genuinely tried to translate it into action through this program.”
According to Dr Pradhan, the districts selected for the integrated program have been asked to make sure that patients will not have to return without medicines. “All district hospitals, primary health centers (PHCs) and health posts in the program-implemented areas should always be able to provide basic medicines,” he said.
“And, by extensively mobilizing various mother groups and Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), we will keep communities informed about our services.”
He said the MoHP has authorized District Public Health Offices (DPHOs) in the program-implemented areas to fill up vacant posts at the local level. “Scores of health posts are lying vacant in districts. The DPHOs always wait for the ministry to fill up the vacant posts, thereby depriving people of health facilities,” he said. “We have addressed this issue as well.”
Two years ago, a deadly cholera outbreak that first hit Jajarkot had killed nearly 300 villagers in various mid and far western districts, exposing the ineffectiveness of public health system. The MoHP had been working on strengthening health systems in those villages, where people have less or no access to health facilities, ever since.
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