Nepal Faces Severe Healthcare Worker Shortage Amidst Population Growth
Summary
Nepal’s government health institutions are facing severe staff shortages, with too few doctors and nurses to match a rapidly growing population. Long queues and strained services persist as recruitment stays far behind need and the staffing structure remains outdated.
Key Points
- Government hospitals across Nepal are overcrowded because the number of doctors, nurses and other health workers is far below required staffing levels.
- Despite the population nearly doubling since the health staffing structure was set decades ago, the government workforce has remained largely static.
- Official data shows healthcare worker availability per thousand people has stayed at 1.94 in recent years, far below the government’s Sixteenth Plan target of 4.64.
- Health leaders say poor infrastructure, slow recruitment and outdated staffing norms are pushing skilled workers toward the private sector or foreign employment.
