One-stop portal on COVID-19 urgently needed: Experts

Published On: March 9, 2020 07:35 AM NPT By: SHREE RAM SUBEDI


KATHMANDU, March 9: While the public is grappling with fears of possible outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, Nepal lacks an official single window for information to provide authentic and updated information on the deadly virus.  The public is being bombarded with information lacking authenticity, which only exacerbates unnecessary fear.

Unlike Nepal, the southern neighbor India has loads of information on its national health portal which contains health tips, awareness materials, guidelines and travel advisory, national trainings for trainers (ToT), information about COVID-19, among others, in various languages.  

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has set up a national health portal to serve as a single-point access for consolidated information. They have also established a national and state-level helpline to address any inquiries about COVID-19. 

According to Johns Hopkins University’s interactive dashboard, a total of 39 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in India so far, of which three have recovered. 

In the global scenario, 107,353 COVID-19 cases have been identified across 97 countries with 3,646 deaths, of which 3,097 occurred in mainland China alone.

“There is an urgent need for establishing a single information portal on COVID-19 in Nepali language,” says Dr Anup Subedi, a specialist on infectious diseases at HAMS Hospital, who argued that such information would assure the public about the government’s responsiveness and trustworthiness.  

“The people should be psychologically sound to avoid unnecessary panic,” added Dr Subedi. 
Not only an online portal but a massive communication outreach backed by the government is needed through various communication channels to reach out to the public, he added.  Dr Sameer Dixit, a public health scientist, also points out to the need for daily updates and appointment of a government spokesperson on COVID-19. 

“A robust communication strategy is utterly lacking to address the massive public concern on coronavirus,” added Dixit.

Nepal is vulnerable to the pathogen for various reasons. Close proximity with China, thousands of Nepalese working in affected countries,  spiking corona cases in India and flow of  passengers from affected countries have made Nepal vulnerable to COVID-19. The Oxford journal of Travel medicine has listed Nepal as one of the 15 countries on high risk from COVID-19.

The official website of the Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal does not have any information about the threat except two appeals posted on March 5 and March 7 respectively, where the ministry has updated the results of the tested COVID-19 cases. The appeals also include health tips to avoid the transfer of virus.

Health Emergencies and Disaster Management Unit has recently uploaded a situation report and resource materials for COVID 19, majority of those are in English with an exception of a flyer and a press release which are in Nepali language. 

Dr Bikash Devkota, joint secretary at the MoHP, admits the lack of a single window portal to deal with information regarding COVID-9.

“We have realized the need, and will soon develop a user-friendly portal,” added Devkota.
On March 6, Nepal Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa had tabled a motion of public concern in parliament. In his four-page proposal, the former health minister has demanded flow of authentic information on a regular basis.


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