Foreign Aid, Sustainable Development and Rapti IRDP

Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology - Volume 9, 200

Healer Choice in Medically Pluralistic Cultural Settings: An Overview of Nepali Medical Pluralism

Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology - Volume 8, 200

Impact of COVID-19 on the elderly

While in most developed countries an adult of age 65 years and above is considered an elderly, in Nepal, the age limit is 60 years. There will be two billion people in old age category worldwide by 2050. This rise in number of ageing group presents many challenges; one such challenge was faced during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) pandemic. The aim of this narrative review is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on different aspects of life of the elderly. The impact of COVID-19 on the health of the elderly is greater compared to other age groups. Studies from around the world have showed that the risk of severity for COVID-19 is higher among the elderly. Many elderlies who got infected or died were healthcare personnel working in the frontline. Measures like physical distancing, movement restriction and home quarantine, all contributed to the increase in social isolation, especially for the elderly. This in turn could cause problems with their physical, mental, and cognitive health. Additionally, in lack of a steady source of income and insufficiency of savings, many face financial crises. Despite efforts to help the old people, they have been enduring the harsh outcomes of the pandemic. To support and respect elderly, their dignified life, clear policy interventions and proper implementations are a must

Diet and physical activity for children’s health: a qualitative study of Nepalese mothers’ perceptions

Published version, also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008197Objectives: Non-communicable diseases account for 50% of all deaths in Nepal and 25% result from cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies in Nepal indicate a high burden of behavioural cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting a low level of knowledge, attitude and practice/behaviour regarding cardiovascular health. The behavioural foundation for a healthy lifestyle begins in early childhood, when mothers play a key role in their children’s lives. This qualitative study, conducted in a Nepalese peri-urban community, aimed to explore mothers’ perception of their children’s diet and physical activity. Design: We notated, tape-recorded and transcribed all data collected from six focus group discussions, and used qualitative content analysis for evaluation and interpretation. Setting: The study was conducted in the Jhaukhel- Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site in the Bhaktapur district of Nepal. Participants: Local health workers helped recruit 61 women with children aged 5–10 years. We distributed participants among six different groups according to educational status. Results: Although participants understood the importance of healthy food, they misunderstood its composition, perceiving it as unappetising and appropriate only for sick people. Furthermore, participants did not prioritise their children’s physical activities. Moreover, mothers believed they had limited control over their children’s dietary habits and physical activity. Finally, they opined that health educational programmes would help mothers and recommended various intervention strategies to increase knowledge regarding a healthy lifestyle. Conclusions: Our data reveal that mothers of young children in a peri-urban community of Nepal lack adequate and accurate understanding about the impact of a healthy diet and physical activity. Therefore, to prevent future cardiovascular disease and other noncommunicable diseases among children, Nepal needs health education programmes to improve mothers’ cardiovascular health knowledge, attitude and behaviour

The Road to Rolpa: constructing the Sahid Marg and the dynamics of state legitimacy during the armed conflict in Nepal

Using the road construction case, Road to Rolpa, as a basis for our study, we explore to what extent service delivery by non-state organisations might have affected state legitimacy in a period of violent conflict in Nepal. During the armed conflict, the government withdrew development activities and cut the budget from many of the Maoist-controlled areas, particularly from areas where the insurgents were governing parallel to the state. In this critical situation, and at the peak of the conflict (2002-2006), the Maoists initiated the construction of the Sahid Marg to win the hearts and minds of the people while also aiming at undermining the ruling power. This study portrays that it was more important for people that services were actually delivered than who delivered them and how they were delivered, even under very deprived conditions. People granted the Maoists a certain degree of legitimacy, mostly in terms of what they obtained. Simultaneously the legitimacy of the government as basic service provider was historically weak, but it was strengthened by the oppressive working procedures of the Maoists. This article argues that gaining legitimacy in one form by the Maoists can result in the gain of legitimacy in another form by the state

Selection of study sites and participants for research into Nepal’s federal health system

Introduction: This article offers insights into the process of selecting representative study sites and participants in a longitudinal study in Nepal. As part of the research design process, the selection of representative areas in a large-scale study requires both intellectual and practical considerations. Methods: We briefly introduce our study into the impact of federalization on Nepal’s health system before outlining the criteria considered for the identification of fieldwork sites and the most appropriate study participants for the qualitative interviews and participatory components of this research. Findings: The selected areas are presented with an overview of the areas selected and their justification. The study sites and participants should consider a broader coverage with diverse participants’ backgrounds. Several factors can influence the identification and recruitment of the right participants, including the use of appropriate gatekeepers, gaining access to recruit participants, logistical challenges, and participant follow-up. Conclusion: We conclude that longitudinal qualitative research requires a carefully selected diverse set of study sites and participants to assess the complexities and dynamics of the health system and service provision to ensure that longitudinal research is representative and effective in addressing the research question(s) being investigated

Challenges and opportunities for nurses during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Pandemic of COVID-19 coincided with the year of Nurses and Midwives 2020. In war against invisible that has been ongoing during this pandemic, nurses play crucial role. As of June 2020, more than 600 nurses have lost their lives due to COVID-19. Nursing practice takes patients’ safety at paramount through continuum of testing, quarantine and isolation. Thus, there is need to review challenges that pandemic has posed as well as the avenues of opportunities that it has opened for nurses. Method: Review of existing literature on nurses, their challenges and opportunities during COVID-19 was done using electronic database. Freely accessible literatures in English language that clearly mentioned on challenges and opportunities of nurses during COVID-19 were included in the study. Result: One of thechallenges that nurses face during COVID-19 is workforce shortage. With increasing number of people infected with COVID-19, it outstretches the existing nursing health workforce, and disproportionately in the low and middle incomes countries. They are at risk of infection and have high job demand. The incidents of suicide among nurses are representation of physical distress and psychological trauma. Role of nurses in patients care during COVID-19 can be under-rated and stigmatized. Internationally trained nurses and minorities nurses are at increased risk of discrimination. Despite these challenges, COVID-19 puts forward opportunities for nurses on implementing humanistic theory in practice, self-esteem and sharing of real time stories, contingency management and creativity. It opens platform for leading infection prevention measures and advocacy of profession. Conclusion: Being the pertinent stakeholders in patient care, nurses’ faces different challenges as well as some opportunities. COVID-19 has opened avenues for advocacy of nursing profession to get acknowledged for their dedication, perseverance, high morale and contribution during the pandemic management

Aid conditionalities, international Good Manufacturing Practice standards and local production rights: a case study of local production in Nepal

© 2015 Brhlikova et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department for International Development [RES-167-25-0110] through the collaborative research project Tracing Pharmaceuticals in South Asia (2006 – 2009). In addition to the authors of this paper, the project team included: Soumita Basu, Gitanjali Priti Bhatia, Erin Court, Abhijit Das, Stefan Ecks, Patricia Jeffery, Roger Jeffery, Rachel Manners, and Liz Richardson. Martin Chautari (Kathmandu) and the Centre for Health and Social Justice (New Delhi) provided resources drawn upon in writing this paper but are not responsible for the views expressed, nor are ESRC or DFID. Ethical review was provided by the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, and ethical approval in Nepal for the study granted by the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC)

Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal

This article addresses some of the key Public Health approaches around the ongoing federalisation of the state of Nepal and the associated decentralisation processes in its health system. We start by outlining the main roles of the discipline of Public Health and the contribution it can make to the reform process. Then the next section introduces our on-going study into the effects of the establishment of the Federal Republic of Nepal on the organisation and running of the country’s health system. To capture the Public Health benefits of decentralisation, the process should not be only ‘top-down’, directed by policy elites. Although in theory Nepal’s health system has undergone a process of decentralisation, in practice policy and planning is often still being led by the Federal government, despite the clear roles and responsibilities of the three tiers of government in health service delivery. To improve policy and planning in the newly decentralised health system structure, there needs to be meaningful incorporation of the views of stakeholders at all levels (even the very lowest levels). Our project aims to play a part in addressing this by capturing a wide variety of experiences of the decentralisation process

Selection of study sites and participants for research into Nepal’s Federal Health System

Introduction: This article offers insights into the process of selecting representative study sites and participants in a longitudinal study in Nepal. As part of the research design process, the selection of representative areas in a large-scale study requires both intellectual and practical considerations. Methods: We briefly introduce our study into the impact of federalization on Nepal’s health system before outlining the criteria considered for the identification of fieldwork sites and the most appropriate study participants for the qualitative interviews and participatory components of this research. Findings: The selected areas are presented with an overview of the areas selected and their justification. The study sites and participants should consider a broader coverage with diverse participants’ backgrounds. Several factors can influence the identification and recruitment of the right participants, including the use of appropriate gatekeepers, gaining access to recruit participants, logistical challenges, and participant follow-up. Conclusion: We conclude that longitudinal qualitative research requires a carefully selected diverse set of study sites and participants to assess the complexities and dynamics of the health system and service provision to ensure that longitudinal research is representative and effective in addressing the research question(s) being investigated