KATHMANDU, May 2: People in remote VDCs will no longer be deprived of primary health care services as the government has begun setting up ´Community Health Units´ close to the VDCs. The Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD) has established 22 such units across the country and they have already started providing health care services from this week.
Such units will provide basic health care services like immunization, treatment of diarrhea, pneumonia as well as antenatal, postnatal and family planning services.
Likewise, diseases that are the target of national health programs like TB, leprosy, Malaria will also be covered through such units. All the services will be provided free of cost at the units.
The ministry had allocated Rs 1.5 million in the budget of current fiscal year for establishing such clinics.
“As per the international norms, people should have access to health centers within 30 minutes, but due to adverse geography people have to walk whole day to reach a health post in some areas of our country,” senior public health administrator, Madan Kumar Shrestha said. According to Shrestha, hundreds of files with about establishing health posts in various locations have piled up in the division.
Among them, only 22 districts were selected on need basis. The health units have been set up two hours walk away from the health posts of the VDCS. The units will help to reduce the mortality rate of pregnant women during deliveries. Due to lack of health facilities in their areas, people in the remote villages go to shamans whenever they face health complications.
To improve access of people living in the remote areas to the health services, the government is planning to expand such clinics in future, the division said.
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