Nepal Health Sector Shows Progress, Faces Challenges in Key Indicators
Summary
Nepal’s health sector has made progress on indicators such as Hepatitis B control, filariasis, fertility rates, and antenatal care, but major gaps remain in maternal and neonatal mortality, tuberculosis, dengue, and out-of-pocket spending. Officials say rising private hospital costs and low health-worker coverage are putting pressure on insurance and service delivery.
Key Points
- Nepal has improved in several health indicators, including Hepatitis B, filariasis, fertility rate, antenatal care, malaria, kala-azar, neglected tropical diseases, and under-five mortality.
- Out-of-pocket health expenditure remains a major challenge, driven by private hospital fees and rising medicine and treatment costs.
- Health insurance covers 45 percent of households, but individual coverage is only 33 percent, putting pressure on the insurance fund and claim payments.
- Large provincial gaps remain in health outcomes, and Nepal still faces high non-communicable disease deaths, air pollution-related mortality, and a shortage of health workers.
