Promoting a resilient health system in Nepal

Project description

Title: Support to the Health Sector Strategy (S2HSS)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Nepal
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP)
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

Birth simulation as advanced training, one person holding a newborn dummy. Copyright: Umong Shahi/ S2HSP

Context

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been supporting the Nepalese health sector since 1994. Despite major progress the quality of and access to service provision still differs between the regions.

In September 2015, the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal transferred many administrative functions to the provinces and municipalities. This offers new prospects for improving the health sector. However, subnational authorities are often not yet accustomed to their new tasks and face challenges to fulfil their newly assigned roles.

Currently, Nepal’s social health security schemes do not offer sufficient protection to the citizens, and access to health services remains inequitable. In particular, the sector has wide-ranging modernisation needs with regard to digitalisation. Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it has become even harder to access health care as the facilities are overwhelmed by the demands.

Objective

The Government of Nepal enhances its capability to deliver social protection and health care services to its population.

A woman shows a sanitary napkin to schoolgirls in a classroom. Copyright: Tabea Seiz/ S2HSS

Approach

The project supports the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to implement the Nepal Health Sector Strategy (NHSS) (2015-2020), which was extended until June 2022. It focuses on four fields of activity:

  • Social Health Protection: improving core processes of the Health Insurance Board (HIB) and the Social Security Fund (SSF)
  • Subnational Health Management: strengthening health management capacities of subnational governments in five municipalities (Bidur, Nilkantha, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi and Godawari) and Sudur Paschhim Province, and improving waste management and infection prevention & hygiene in 13 hospitals
  • Integrated Health Information Systems: improving access to digital data and information for health sector management and improving the interoperability of various systems.
  • Reproductive Health: institutionalisation of selected approaches for the improvement of reproductive health services, which includes the training of birth attendants and menstrual health services.

Last update: March 2022

A woman sits at a desk full of files in front of a screen in an office. Copyright: Umong Shahi/ S2HSP

Additional information