INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU: Nyaya Health Nepal (NHN), an organisation which provides healthcare to under-served communities in the country, in addition to
providing regular healthcare services has been addressing challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis.
In partnership with the Ministry
of Health and Population, the organisation manages and delivers healthcare in two locations: Achham, a remote district in Sudurpaschim
Province that experienced disinvestment during the decade-long civil war, and Dolakha in Bagmati Province, one of the epicentres of the 2015
earthquakes.
The organisation works with local governments to design, build, test, and replicate integrated healthcare delivery systems
across the country so that quality care reaches the people
At present, a team of nearly 400 staffers provides for 150,000 facility visits, 8,000 surgeries, and 125,000 home visits across a catchment
area of 245,000 population, each year.
According to the organisation, NHN has been putting in efforts to ensure that those who are medically
under-served have access to quality healthcare while at the same time adapting to and addressing the challenges of virus spread during this
global healthcare crisis.
Joining the fight against Covid-19 crisis, they have established isolation rooms and fever clinics in Bayalpata
Hospital and Chaurpati Primary Health Centre in Sudurpaschim Province, and Charikot Hospital in Bagmati Province
At this crucial time for healthcare professionals, frontline health workers have been trained on self-care and infection prevention and are
on duty while other key staff are on standby, positioned for any support requested by the government.
NHN integrated healthcare model
includes three main components & intervention at the public facility to improve management and quality of care, home-based care through
Community Health Workers (CHW) network to ensure timely case identification, appropriate treatment, counselling or referrals, and follow-up,
and thirdly, an electronic health record (EHR) that serves as the digital platform through which to integrate data and coordinate care
between the facility and the home.
Community Health Workers associated with NHN are providing care remotely, such as counselling pregnant
women and mothers with children under the age of two, supporting the municipalities and health facilities in care delivery as needed, and
counselling on Covid-19 at the health posts
Since the onset of the pandemic, they are also providing mental health counselling remotely through psychosocial counsellors for Covid-19
patients and others, as needed.
NHN has developed Covid-19 screening pages on Electronic Health Record, the digital systems that record all
patient treatment, used at the facility, and Covid19 counseling module in Comcare used in the community
This provides vital information to assist in monitoring the spread of the virus in their catchment communities
They have been doing Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) and coordinating with the municipal, provincial, and federal governments regarding
Their Covid19 response work is regularly updated on their webpage.
At present, NHN works in nine municipalities within two provinces
In three of these municipalities, they operate hospitals along with surrounding CHW networks
The CHWs are integrated with facility-based care via the EHR
They also operate CHW networks six additional municipalities.
As the pandemic rages on, NHNs approach looks at all tiers of the health
system to determine what type of care can be optimised that is cost effective, accessible and affordable.
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responds to COVID-19 appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
