CT- scan and MRI centers in Kathmandu
6 November, 2020CT- scan and MRI centers in Kathmandu...
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Most of Nepal's health care facilities are concentrated in urban areas. Rural health facilities often lack adequate funding. In 2021, Nepal had 10 health centers, 110 hospitals, 3,789 health posts, and 3,176 "sub-health posts,203 primary health centers" which serve villages. In addition, there were 1,259 physicians, one for every 18,400 people.
Each health institution has targeted to serve 300 to 3, 00,000 patients in the respective areas with respect to the resources available. However,the situation of the health posts in rural parts of Nepal is sadly pathetic. Many of them have been running without enough manpower and resources with barely enough rooms for patients and hence less effective services.
Nepal is a Federal Democratic Republican country that has been geographically divided into 7 provinces and 77 districts. The availability of health services and establishment of health posts and health institutions are not proportionate.
According to the institutional framework of the DoHS and MoHP, the health post (from an institutional perspective) is the first contact point for basic health services. However, in reality, the HP is the referral center of the volunteer cadres of TBAs and FCHVs as well as a venue for community-based activities such as PHC outreach clinics and EPI clinics. Each level above the HP is a referral point in a network from HP to PHCC, on to district zonal and regional hospitals, and finally to specialty tertiary care centers in Kathmandu. This referral hierarchy has been designed to ensure that the majority of the population receives public health and minor treatment in places accessible to them and at a price they can afford. Inversely, the system works as a supporting mechanism for lower levels by providing logistical, financial, supervisory, and technical support from the center to the periphery.
The health centers have spread across the country but unfortunately, only a few health posts have been able to provide quality service. Hospitals, primary healthcare centers, health posts, urban health centers, community health units, and other health facilities are present all across the country but a number of patients are still compelled to travel abroad for quality treatment. This shows the need for transformation, advancement, and proportionate distribution of health facilities in Nepal.
Provinces |
Hospital |
Primary healthcare centers |
Health posts |
Urban health centers |
Community Health Unit |
Other Health Unit |
Total |
1 |
18 |
40 |
648 |
52 |
49 |
9 |
816 |
2 |
13 |
32 |
745 |
17 |
7 |
8 |
822 |
3 |
33 |
43 |
640 |
110 |
90 |
18 |
934 |
4 |
15 |
24 |
491 |
52 |
41 |
12 |
635 |
5 |
20 |
30 |
570 |
68 |
47 |
6 |
741 |
6 |
12 |
13 |
336 |
18 |
22 |
3 |
404 |
6 |
14 |
16 |
378 |
57 |
43 |
3 |
511 |
125 |
198 |
3808 |
374 |
299 |
59 |
4863 |
The data presented above presents the number of health facilities in Nepal that have been providing the services according to the data of this decade.
The main purpose of the health posts is to provide basic health facilities to the people in its area. Nepal has seen tremendous development and advancement in the availability of modern health equipment. The treatments that were a farsighted possibility have now turned into success stories. However, when we analyze the health care facilities in the rural and geographically challenging areas to reach, the requirement for improvements and advancement is significant.
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