Overview of healthcare system
Both the public and private sector provide health care services in Nepal. Disease prevalence is higher in Nepal than it is in other South Asian countries, especially in rural areas. Many people were not educated about health and they hold to traditional beliefs, believing many diseases are caused by past wrongdoing.
Health care facilities, hygiene, nutrition and sanitation in Nepal are of poor quality, particularly in the rural areas. Health care is still beyond the means of most Nepalese. Provision of services are constrained by inadequate government funding and the poor have limited access to basic health care due to its high costs and low availability.
What happens if you need to see a doctor?
If we need to see a doctor, it depends on our economic condition. If someone has money, they go to the doctor. If not, they stay at home and hope that the priest will pray for them. Cities have more access to doctors and hospitals, but if you are in a rural area like a village and have a dangerous condition, you will probably die.
Who decides what doctors can prescribe?
The Department of Drug Administration is the government body that makes these decisions.
Practically, what is it like to live with type 1 diabetes in Nepal?
To live with diabetes in Nepal as a woman is very challenging. Nepali people have a poor mentality because they think we made some mistake in our past life so this condition is God’s punishment. There is a big lack of understanding. Many in our society think women need to get married after they turn 20 years old and that after marriage we should have a baby within a year. Sometimes people in society will not accept someone with diabetes.
It is also very expensive and hard to get diabetes supplies in Nepal, especially in rural areas. We cannot always keep them as cool as we need.
What about getting admitted to hospital?
Nepal is still lacking sufficient health care providers. Appropriate referrals and consultations are not a common practice. As mentioned above, if you have money to afford it you still might not be able to be admitted if you are not in the capital, Kathmandu.
How does diabetes care vary throughout Nepal?
Much of rural Nepal is located on hilly or mountainous regions. The rugged terrain and the lack of proper infrastructure make it highly inaccessible, limiting the availability of basic health care. In many villages, the only mode of transportation is by foot. This results in a delay of treatment, which can be detrimental to patients in need of immediate medical attention. In Nepal, having diabetes is very hard because we simply do not have good access to things like electricity or medicine.
A big thank you to our friend Namuna Lopchan in Nepal for providing the type 1 perspective from Nepal.
Last updated 2017