Effective delivery of priority public health programmes

Situation assessment

 

Nepal has achieved significant reduction in child mortality and also increased life expectancy. Nepal was recognized in 2014 for being on track in maternal mortality reduction, but did not achieve the MDG target, and its maternal mortality ratio is the highest in the South-East Asia Region. Communicable diseases are no longer the dominant cause of morbidity and mortality. New vaccines provide opportunities, in particular for improved child health. The country has achieved polio-free status in 2013 while measles, malaria, kala-azar and trachoma are on the track to elimination. These achievements need to be sustained and further improved, but major challenges remain in areas such as tuberculosis. Focus area 2.1 Tuberculosis control.

 

WHO will:

 

  1. Support the TB control programme to improve diagnosis and treatment with special focus on case detection, strengthening laboratory system, drug-resistant TB and tuberculosis in vulnerable populations, including children.
  2. Support the continuation of the TB and tobacco integration in primary care through Practical Approach to Lung Health (PAL) and DOTS strategy.
  3. Advocate for private-public mix and community engagement in the TB control programme.
  4. Support the National TB Prevalence Survey (2018) along with conducting the second Drug-Resistance TB Survey in 2019.
  5.  

Focus area 2.2 Elimination of measles, malaria and selected neglected tropical diseases

WHO will:

 

  1. Provide technical assistance for maintaining polio-free status in the country and developing a successful polio transition plan.
  2. Provide technical assistance aimed at achieving measles elimination by 2019.
  3. Provide technical assistance aimed at elimination of malaria by 2025, lymphatic filariasis by 2020, trachoma by 2018, kala-azar by 2020, and leprosy at the provincial level by 2020.
  4. Strengthen surveillance and laboratory diagnostic system for eliminationtargeted neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), specifically for malaria and kalaazar.
  5. Coordinate regular cross-border collaboration/activities for efficient case reporting and tracking of malaria and selected NTDs including dengue and chikungunya.
  6. Provide technical assistance in re-evaluating the epidemiological situation and interventions for soil-transmitted helminthiasis.

 

Focus area 2.3 Introduction of new vaccines and control of vaccine preventable diseases, including combating hepatitis


WHO will:

  1. Provide technical assistance for introduction of new vaccines (fractional IPV in 2018, rotavirus vaccine in 2018, HPV in 2019).
  2. Provide technical support for improving immunization coverage with focus on equity.
  3. Provide technical support for control of rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).
  4. Support the development and implementation of national hepatitis strategy and action plan based on the disease burden and cost-effective interventions.
  5. Provide technical assistance for informed decision-making over hepatitis B vaccination policies, in the context of WHO SAGE recommendation.

 

Focus area 2.4: Promoting health through the life course

WHO will:

  1. Support the implementation of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), and Newborn and Birth Defects Surveillance (SEAR-NBBD) linked with improved quality of maternal and newborn care.
  2. Support the development of capacity-building package for facility-based Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI).
  3. Provide technical support for developing guidelines, national plans and strategies on geriatric care, sub-fertility and infertility, and women’s and adolescent health.