Subject: Social Studies
Health is our greatest wealth. You cannot study well if your health is bad nor can you learn well and work hard. You cannot enjoy foods, games and books either. Living with some diseases is really painful. You have to swallow bitter medicines and mostly are confined in bed waiting for others to do all things for you. Even a huge property is spent in caring for our health if we are unhealthy.
Only skilled and healthy citizens can work sufficiently to raise the level of their country. Unhealthy citizens become the burden for their family, society and the nation. The government has to make a huge investment in health sector if public health is poor. It causes lack of sufficient budget for improving other infrastructures such as education and industry because health is to be given the topmost priority. Industries and construction cannot run smoothly due to lack of enough manpower. Natural resources in spite of their high potential are just wasted.
Status of health in Nepal
In Nepal huge budget is allocated and many organizations are working in health sector. However, expected changes have not taken place in the health of general public. Life expectancy is hardly 65 years. Many children are still malnourished. Epidemic and endemic diseases are common. Drinking water is not safe. The environment in urban areas is highly polluted. Doctors are not ready to serve in remote villages. There are not enough hospitals and health center for medical services. Superstitions and ignorance are high. Many people have not realized the importance of medical treatment yet. Population growth rate is high so it is difficult to provide good health services for all. Even the available facilities have not been fairly distributed. Most good hospitals are located in few cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bharatpur. The level of nutrition is poor for the majority of people. The Economic level is also poor. Private hospitals offering quality health services are too expensive for average Nepali population to afford.
Health institutes in Nepal (FY 2066/67 BS)
Hospitals | 100 |
Primary health centers/health center /health posts | 883 |
Sub-health posts | 3114 |
Women health volunteers | 48604 |
Source: statistical bulletin, CBS 2010
Aims for improvement
Quite many people, variously skilled, are working in community level to improve the health condition of the general public. Health centers and health posts have been extended up to the village level. National and international organizations and agencies are actively cooperating.
Study the following figures that show the achievements of an interim plan as well as the aims of the current plan.
SN | Health indicator | Achievements of the intern plan | Aim of the current plan |
1 | Newborn infant mortality rate (in 100) | 30 | 23 |
2 | Infant mortality rate (in 1000 live birth) | 44 | 38 |
3 | Total fertility rate | 2.9 | 2.75 |
4 | Maternal mortality rate (in 100000) | 229 | 192 |
5 | Women taking obstetric services from health workers (%) | 28.8 | 40 |
6 | Population using contraceptives (%) | 48 | 57 |
7 | Population with drinking water service (%) | 80 | 85 |
8 | Population below poverty line (%) | 25.4 | 21 |
According to me, doctors are correct because water is the most important and the most consumed element and if the water we consume is not clean then we might suffer from different communicable diseases including typhoid, diarrhoea, and dysentery etc. The doctors are there for their medical treatment but if the doctors themselves are suffering from disease then the society cannot be healthy.
Nowadays, new technologies have arrived in the field of medical science for curing many diseases. As doctors have to conduct many surgical operations and attend emergencies they need electricity.
Transport is considered as an important infrastructure of development because it helps in the development of agriculture, industry, trade and business, tourism and human relations.
Road transport system is the most suited transport system for Nepal because it is comparatively affordable and also easier to operate than others. The other transport systems are lagging behind because of the mountainous topography, landlocked position, lack of technological development and poor economic conditions of Nepal.
S.N. | Health Index | FY 2053-54 | Goals of 9th Plan | Goals in next 20 years |
1. | Infant mortality/1000 | 74.7 | 61.5 | 34.4 |
2. | Child mortality/1000 | 118 | 102.3 | 62.4 |
3. | Total fertility rate (per women) | 4.58 | 4.20 | 3.05 |
4. | Average age/years | 56.1 | 59.7 | 68.7 |
5. | Child mortality rate in 10,000 live births) | 47.5 | 40.0 | 25.0 |
6. | Users of contraceptive (%) | 30.1 | 36 | 58.2 |
7. | Maternity services rendered by trained personnel (%) | 31.5 | 50 | 95 |
8. | Birth of children below 2,500g (%) | - | 2.3 | 12 |
9. | Plain mortality rate/1000 | 11.5 | 9.6 | 61 |
10. | Plain birth rate/1000 | 34.4 | 33.14 | 26.6 |
11. | Availability of very essential health service (% to population) | - | 70 | 90 |
1. Nepal is an underdeveloped country. Many types of health problems are prevalent here and epidemics have become the characteristics of Nepal. Infant mortality rate (61.5 per thousand), child mortality rate (102.3 per thousand) and total fertility rate (4.20 per women) are higher in comparison with developed countries. Similarly, crude death rate (9.6 per thousand) and crude birth rate 33.1 per thousand are also high. To conclude, the status of health condition hasn't improved.
2. The availability of essential health service should be increased by 20% to meet the goal of 9th plan.
3. Infant mortality rate of 2053/54= 74.7 per thousand
i.e. 7.47% (74.74/1000 * 100)
Infant mortality rate of 20 years aim/target= 34.4 per thousand
i.e. 3.44% (34.44/1000* 100)
Therefore, The differences between two= 7.42 - 3.44
Decreased percent= 4.03/7.47* 100 = 53.95%
Hence, Infant mortality rate should be decreased by 53.95% to meet the goals of next 20 years.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. People living here do not have enough nutritious food to eat, pure water to drink, ideal places for physical exercise and good health services for treatment. At the same time, they are involved in many bad habits like smoking, chewing tobacco, taking wine and using drugs. All these adversely affect the health of the individual.
Also a prenatal baby cannot develop nicely from his/her conception due to malnourishment of the mother. S/he has unhealthy environment after his/her postnatal life. Due to poor maternity services, many infants die. Whenever infants fall sick, they cannot be treated properly due to lack of hospital, health center, etc. Due to these various problems child mortality rate is high in our country.
The following things need to be done to improve the health condition of the people living in rural areas of Nepal:
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