Equal Health Access
Summary
Healthcare access remains difficult for older people, persons with disabilities, and patients with chronic illnesses, prompting calls for home-based and workplace screening services in Nepal. Kathmandu Metropolitan City has already identified high-risk senior citizens through home check-ups, while health advocates urge better coordination, referral systems, and broader use of telemedicine.
Key Points
- Regular health check-ups remain difficult for many older people, persons with disabilities, and chronically ill patients in Nepal because of cost, travel barriers, and poor road access.
- A CHEERS screening at a dairy factory in Kathmandu identified a suspected glaucoma case, showing the value of workplace and doorstep health services.
- Kathmandu Metropolitan City has introduced home-based check-ups and identified 128 high-risk senior citizens under its municipal programme.
- The article calls for a coordinated national system, stronger referral mechanisms, and wider promotion of telemedicine, especially in rural areas.
