The public awareness programmes are being organized at the initiative of National AIDS and Sexual Disease Control Centre. Director at the Centre, Dr Sarbesh Sharma, informed that the HIV transmission declined by 91 percent by 2023.

Since 2010, the HIV transmission recorded decline by 39 percent. Similarly, the death caused by this disease also decreased half.

However, Afghanistan, Egypt, Fiji, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea witnessed HIV transmission by 100 percent from 2010 to 2023.

Nepal is one of the countries declining HIV spread by 75 percent. Similar success was achieved in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe, the Centre added.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated, “Ending AIDS requires that we prioritize and reach everyone who is living with, at risk for or affected by HIV, including men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, sex workers, and people in prisons and other closed settings, as well as their partners.”

The rural municipality has also given cash amount to pregnant women, which is aimed at supporting economically poor women and encouraging them to deliver babies in the health care facilities, Chairman of Haldibari Rural Municipality Rabindra Lingden said.

Under the Safe Delivery Incentive Programme, pregnant women are provided with Rs 2,000 in cash for visiting the health facilities for regular checkups.

Within the rural municipality, they are offered ambulance service for free and they get 50 per cent in subsidy if the pregnant women were to visit other health facilities out of Haldibari Rural Municipality.

The rural municipality spent Rs 429,000 in the last fiscal year as part of the Safe Delivery Incentive Programme.

Likewise, the rural municipality has set up a Citizen Treatment Fund to support the treatment of poor people in Haldibari. Under the scheme, the rural municipality supported Rs 528,000 to the needy people last year, Chairman Lingden shared. (RSS)

According to Prof Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital, play therapy has been started to help children who are admitted to the pediatric department to make them forget that they are sick.

He said, “By treating in this way, even the child’s illness will be cured quickly psychologically.” He added that children will feel comfortable when treated in a hospital, creating a home-like environment.

Dr Paudel said that this service has been started targeting children up to 10 years of age, except for those in the pediatric intensive care unit and those with disabilities.

He said that even in foreign countries, doctors manage such rooms, and they will organize them gradually. He says that around 50 children can take this service every day. There are 66 beds in the pediatric department of the hospital. Dr Paudel shared that after the hospital itself started purchasing materials, various donors promised to support more materials for the purpose.

The hospital also has NICU and PICU services as well. This is a federal hospital. Patients from neighboring districts including Chitwan come here for treatment. (RSS)

The Hospital, which was only providing bed, food, and radio therapy, has extended service by providing chemo and medicines after the Health Ministry decided to provide cancer treatment free of cost to the children.

Director at Hospital, Dr Shiva Ji Paudel, informed that Nepal was receiving medicine free of cost from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of 35 types of child cancer.

However, till the government receives it, Hospital is providing medicines on its own. “After the Health Ministry ensured resources, we launched treatment including medicine to the children suffering from cancer for free of cost,” he added.

Similarly, Deputy Director at Hospital, Dr Umesh Nepal, said the hospital witnesses a huge number of children suffering from cancer. “It is difficult to manage treatment on its own cost. So, the Ministry took initiative to this regard with assurance of resources.

Oncologist at the hospital, Dr Krishna Sagar Sharma, said if the cancer is diagnosed in children on time, it can be cured.

Nepal records some 1,500 children getting cancer every year. Among them, only half come to hospital for treatment. (RSS)

The number of women giving child birth at home has reached zero when the people became aware that delivery at home could lead to complication, risking the lives of mother and child.

Chief of health section at municipality, Chandan Subedi, informed that the local levels brought reform in the practice of child birth at home so that both the lives of the mother and newborn could be safe.

In the last fiscal year, 2080/81, a total of 392 persons had received safe maternity service while 149 got similar service till date in the current fiscal year, according to Subedi.

Since the fiscal year, 2078/79, Beni municipality has recorded zero child birth at home.

The delivery and maternity services are available at District Hospital and other health posts located at Jyamrukkot, Bhakimli, Singa, Pulachaur and Patlekhet.

However, the Beni Hospital witnesses most of the service seekers for child delivery.

Mayor at municipality, Surat KC, said the zero delivery at home was possible because of government policy and public awareness campaign launched massively.

Both the government and on-government initiative have borne positive results, he added.

Earlier, the family of a donor would get Rs 100 thousands from the Bhaktapur-based Human Organ Transplant Centre. On Sunday, Home Minister Pradip Paudel decided to double the amount.

In addition, hospitals facilitating organ donations will now receive Rs 75,000, an increase from the previous Rs 50,000. The Finance Ministry has approved the increase through internal resource management, according to the Ministry.

The Human Organ Transplant Centre states that each year, it handles around 1,000 kidney and 55 liver transplant requests. It performs 200 kidney transplants and 20 liver transplants annually, accounting for about 70 percent of the country’s total transplants.

Organ donation post-death is legal in Nepal. Other health facilities such as Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Maharajgunj, and several private hospitals provide organ transplant services in the country. (RSS)

The meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Thursday took this decision.

The cabinet meeting on Thursday decided to upgrade the Pokhariya Hospital into a 50-bed facility from 15 beds, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Raj Kumar Gupta wrote on the wall of his social networking site.

Stating that people’s demand and years-long efforts were being fulfilled, Minister Gupta expressed confidence that the hospital would bring about new dimensions in the health care sector of Madhes Province.

Lions Club and Shuklagandaki Municipality would support in setting up the facilities to begin the dialysis service. 

Executive Director of Centre, Dr Ram Kumar Shrestha, said preparations are ongoing to provide dialysis service in February.

“Public demand is high for dialysis service. We have begun internal preparations to start this service. Two staff nurses have already received training and two more nurses have been sent for training programme from November 16,” Executive Director Shrestha said.

Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel, who made an inspection visit to the hospital some time ago, has also expressed his readiness to provide support from the Ministry of Health and Population.

As many as 300 patients are visiting the Centre daily for health care services. Besides respiratory services, the hospital has provided orthopedic, gynecology, general surgery and ENT services. (RSS)

Nepal Pharmacy Council, through a notice, made the mandatory provision requiring the pharmacists and pharmacy assistants working in any of the community pharmacy or the hospital’s pharmacy to put on white apron with the person’s nametag while selling or supplying medical drugs.

Council’s Registrar Sanjeev Kumar Pandey said that action will be taken against those pharmacists and pharmacy assistants found flouting this code of conduct. 

“The Council shall regularly monitor whether the dress code is followed or not. In case of violation, the process of taking action against the violators will be forwarded as per the Council Regulation, 2059 BS,” he said. (RSS)

Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel, Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, and Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ramnath Adhikari have urged for the appropriate use of antibiotics. 

They made this collective call on the occasion of the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024 which commenced today, November 18.

The ministers underlined the need for increased awareness and advocacy for antimicrobial resistance.

There is an opportunity for Nepal to prove accountability and fulfill its commitments that it made during the two high-level sessions this year: the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the 77th World Health Assembly regarding antimicrobial resistance and in this context, the Week is particularly significant for Nepal, they said in the message.

In developing countries like Nepal where the role of antibiotics is significant in the treatment of contagious and communicable diseases among humans, livestock, and plants, the global rise in antimicrobial resistance has led to the diminished effectiveness of antibiotics and thus more challenges in treatment of contagious diseases, they said in the message. 

According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance currently results in around 1.2 million deaths annually worldwide and it is estimated to surge to 5 million by 2050. By 2030, the economic burden due to this could reach up to 34 billion US dollars. This is likely to hinder the progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

This year, the theme for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024 is “Educate. Advocate. Act now.” (RSS)

Since then, a 40-yer-old male died due to dengue on August 6 and a 52-year-old woman died on August 15 in Kaski while a 61-year-old male died in Myagdi on September 4. Similarly, four women, aged 81, 70, 75 and 26 died due to dengue in Kaski on September 6, September 18, September 30 and October 20, respectively, the Ministry stated.

During this period the highest number of 8,979 dengue cases were reported in Kaski and the lowest six cases in Manang district in the province during this period, said Prashanta Raj Sharma, the Information Officer at the Ministry.

According to Sharma, dengue was confirmed in 8,858 persons in Pokhara Metropolitan City, the province capital, alone. He said 12 local levels in the province are so far untouched by the disease.

Dengue was found in 70 people in the province last January whereas 6,267 people were infected with the disease until September. The number of cases was 6,044 in October and it is 947 since the start of November till date, the Ministry said. (RSS)

Lily Shrestha, the Medical Chief at the National Public Health Laboratory, told RSS that the virus detected in the sample is not polio infectious has been confirmed through a test of the sample conducted in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We did not again find the poliovirus from the tests carried out from time to time on the samples collected from the sewage and other places to determine whether the virus found in the Tukucha rivulet had spread or not. If that virus had spread, it would have been detected in the sewage mixed in the rivulet. This was not the case and we confirmed that it was not the poliovirus,” she explained.

Poliovirus was found in a sample collected from the confluence of Bagmati and Tukucha rivulet near Tripureshwar of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-12 last July.

Chief of the Child Health and Immunization Section, Department of Health Services, Dr Abhiyan Gautam, said that samples have been continuously collected and tested 13 times after the detection of the poliovirus in the sample collected from Tukucha rivulet, but it was not detected again.

The Section has been collecting samples and testing them for the presence of poliovirus since 2017. Samples are collected from the Bagmati, Dhobikhola, Manahara, Bishnumati rivers in Kathmandu and tested two times monthly for the presence of poliovirus, Dr Gautam added.

Similarly, samples are collected and tested for the presence of poliovirus one time a month in Pokhara, Biratnagar and Janakpur.

Dr Gautam said that polio infection has not been found in the country since 2010. (RSS)

The nationwide vaccination drive will be placed for 15 days from coming February 5 coinciding the Cancer Day.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, nearly 1,69 million adolescent girls at the (7-14) age group will be vaccinated free of cost under the campaign.

Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel has decided to launch the ‘Human Papilloma Virus’ (HPV) vaccination campaign against cervical cancer which is killing four people every day in the country, Ministry’s spokesperson Prakash Budhathoki told RSS.

Upon assuming the office, Minister Poudel had pledged to conduct a vaccination campaign for the prevention and control of cervical cancer among adolescent girls.

It was also decided to include HPV vaccine against cervical cancer in the regular vaccination campaign from next year, he said.

There is a support from the Global Alliance (GAVI) as well as government investment for the HPV vaccine. Senior Oncologist at Patan Institute of Health Sciences Arun Shahi stressed the need to get vaccinated against human papilloma as the reason for increasing the risk of cervical cancer.

He said women having early marriage, giving birth to children at premature age, begetting children continuously in a short period of time, having physical relations with multiple partners, excessive smoking and drinking habit and negligence to vaginal hygiene are vulnerable to human papilloma. (RSS)

Chief of Child Health and Immunization Division at Health Service Department Dr Abhiyan Gautam informed that after all children under 2 years age from all 77 districts have been fully immunized.

For this first time, full immunization was announced in Achham and Palpa districts.

Total 8 doses of vaccination for different disease are administered to the children under 15-month. Once these doses are complete, it is regarded full immunization.

Similarly, BCG is administered to the baby immediately after the birth against tuberculosis. It is managed by the government.

The vaccinations are against Rota virus, polio virus, pneumonia, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis-B, influenza-B, Japanese encephalitis, rubella, typhoid.

The child is administered vaccination against Japanese encephalitis in 12th month while they are jabbed against measles, rubella and typhoid in 15th month.

Division chief Dr Gautam further informed that if the child misses any immunization administered before 15 months, they are provided it in the time from 16 months to 23 months. (RSS)