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Rural health
MAR 28 -
As soon as we reached one of the most remote Village Development Committees of Rolpa for the mobile medical camp, the Axuiliary Health Worker (AHW) of the local Health Post said, "Doctor, we have received a patient in labour (delivery). Can you examine her?" I evaluated the case. Oh my God! She has been bleeding for the last 10 days. She was very pale and needed an urgent blood transfusion. She was not suffering from labour pain, but had an Ante partum hemorrhage (blood loss through her vagina before delivering a baby). I immediately performed resuscitation, counseled the patient's kin and referred her to Nepalgunj, which is about two days from her village.
This is only one example of critical cases found in rural Nepal. The more remote the area, the more difficult it becomes to treat a patient. The primary rural health problem is the lack of health facilities within accessible range, compounded by a lack of health professionals in the areas.
Because of a lack of sufficient medicine and medical equipment, patients can't get full treatment when they need it. Some patients who cannot be taken care of must be referred to a higher centre, and the referral centre is often so far away that the patients may lose their life while being transported for better treatment, often in makeshift carriers and through tracherous roads. Death is the only fate from some emergency diseases in such areas. In addition, the level of health awareness is very low among rural people, so they become, by and large, passive in health related activities.
The government must address these rural health problems seriously. For this, the foremost thing required is political and diplomatic will power. Our lawmakers must put health as the top priority. Special packages must be introduced for rural health development. Sufficient numbers of sub-health posts, health posts, primary health centres and hospitals should be established even in rural areas. Availability of health staff as well as essential medicine and equipment must be ensured. Health-trained professionals should be encouraged to serve in rural areas. Formulation and strict implementation of laws should be carried out. Local people should be empowered and the awareness level must be improved. Referral centres must be established at appropriate distances that can be connected by well defined means of transport. No stone should be left unturned to save the life of a patient.
According to the principles of primary health care, no area of a country should face discrimination in terms of accessibility to health facilities. Since Nepal has adopted primary health care as the basic mechanism of the health services delivery system, the rural health problems must be solved as soon as possible. Healthy eyes and strong arms have little significance if legs have to be amputated. So, in addition to maintaining the urban health facilities strengthen the rural health to make a healthy, new Nepal.
Posted on: 2010-03-28 09:04
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