A month long health campaign launched against non-communicable diseases

Nepal government has launched the nationwide month long health campaign starting from February 13.

The month long campaign against non-communicable diseases launched by the Ministry of Health and Population aims to generate awareness about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country, according to health ministry officials. As part of the campaign, free testing for hypertension, diabetes, renal function, and body mass index measurement will be provided at health facilities run by local governments.

Inaugurating a free health screening facility for noncommunicable disease launched by the health ministry for a month on Thursday in Pokhara, a Western Nepal town, Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel expressed his concern over an increasing number of patients with non-communicable diseases in the country. “If this graph continues, the expected results in the health sector would remain unmet,” he pointed out. “It is warranted to implement a strategy to prevent citizens from illness,” Minister Paudel said, adding that the campaign aims to promote the government’s policy for a preventive approach against diseases. As shown by the government’s data the cases of diabetes and hypertension are rising in the country and the campaign is expected to address the situation.

“We hope this campaign will help people understand the growing threat of non-communicable diseases in our country,” said Dr Pomawati Thapa, chief of the Mental Health Section at the division.

Studies show that non-communicable diseases are responsible for around 80 percent of the total deaths, including deaths from injuries and accidents.

Hypertension, diabetes, renal disease, liver problems, heart problems, and cervical cancer, among others, have emerged as leading causes of death in recent years, accounting for around 80 percent of total deaths.

According to a 2019 study on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases by the Nepal Health Research Council, 71 percent of total deaths at present were due to non-communicable diseases, and an additional eight percent of deaths were linked to injuries.

Officials hope that free screenings for non-communicable diseases will help raise awareness about risk factors and ultimately help reduce the disease burden.

Meanwhile, 70 per cent of the target girls have been inoculated in the ongoing nationwide vaccination campaign against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 161,874 target girls were vaccinated against HPV on Wednesday, the ninth day of the vaccination campaign. The vaccination campaign is for two weeks.

According to the data published by the health ministry, 219, 083 girls are administered a vaccine against the HPV virus in Koshi Province, 181, 487 in Madhesh Province, 224,702 girls in Bagmati Province, 98, 173 in Gandaki Province, 210,086 in Lumbini Province, 87, 904 in Karnali Province and 140, 437 Sudur Paschim Province.

As many as 16,88, 768 girls aged 11–14 will be inoculated with a single dose of the vaccine during the two-week campaign from February 4 to February 18.