After the quake, building STRONGER, FAIRER healthcare in Nepal

As in any disaster, the level of carnage was dependent on the preparedness, resilience and accessibility of the country’s healthcare system and its ability to deal with the flood of patients requiring urgent, life-saving treatment. In this regard, the government of Nepal deserves credit.

Since the 2004 Asian tsunami, disaster preparedness in the countries that fall within the World Health Organisation’s Southeast Asia region has been measured by the lessons learned from the shortcomings of the response to that unprecedented crisis. No comparable calamity had occurred within living memory, meaning little planning had gone into preparing for and responding to its eventuality. Healthcare systems were caught off guard and rendered largely dysfunctional. 

Nepal’s recent quake, however, had long been foreseen. The Himalayan nation is located on a tremulous fault line that experts say is disturbed approximately once every 80 years. Though no quake of similar magnitude had ravaged the country within the living memory of most of its citizens, the 1934 Nepal-Bihar quake left its mark on the national psyche: Each year on January 15, Nepal mourns the estimated 8,500 victims of that tragedy. 

This awareness was translated into hard policy in areas of critical importance. While the scattershot urbanisation of the Kathmandu valley was always going to be difficult to curb, major public hospitals were retrofitted to withstand powerful quakes, ensuring that a coordinated health response, when required, would be effective. Essential services such as emergency rooms, operating theatres and maternity wards were prioritised for fortification, while emergency medical supplies were strategically located. Though over 90 per cent of the country’s health infrastructure was destroyed by the recent quakes, including four district-level hospitals outside Kathmandu, the retention of key healthcare facilities throughout the country prevented a disaster of much greater magnitude. 

Of equal importance is the fact that health workers had been given the basic skills to deal with the unprecedented influx of patients. Educational programmes in mass-casualty management ensured that amid the chaos there was reason and efficiency. As Nepal’s health workers performed around the clock, often under torchlight, patients were triaged and resources allocated where they could be most effective. Nepal’s first responders provided critical care when it mattered most, and were later supported by foreign medical teams that provided surge capacity in a coordinated, largely orderly manner. 

Still, as the monsoon nears and the provision of immediate relief cedes to long-term planning and reconstruction, the challenges to providing equitable access to quality healthcare are acute. With approximately 2.8 million people displaced, many of whom live in remote areas, priority must be given to reaching the most vulnerable. 

Along with temporary healthcare facilities being rolled out to replace those that have been rendered unserviceable, disease surveillance is currently being conducted in the 14 most affected districts so as to enable a rapid response if an outbreak occurs. Messaging, meanwhile, is being deployed to far-flung regions of the country to enhance preventative measures. In the coming months, priority areas of concern include the continuation of maternal and child healthcare services; the provision of culturally appropriate, evidence-based mental healthcare for those that have ongoing trauma as a result of the disaster; and access to rehabilitation for the almost 17,000 people injured in the tragedy. 

Perhaps the greatest challenge of all, however, will be rebuilding Nepal’s health system to ensure equitable access in a country with varied topography and varying degrees of urbanisation. Though it may seem trite, the opportunities that the crisis presents are significant, and must be taken advantage of. 

Health services must be rebuilt and made accessible to all, while risk-reduction programmes must be implemented at the sub-national level. Soil testing, the enforcement of health facility-related building codes, and investment in design of quake-proof facilities and homes must be encouraged across the country. At the regional level, neighbours must continue to coordinate closely to enhance the effectiveness of their responses. 

While much of this discussion will take place on a policy level and will be the subject of lengthy revision, the key point for those facilitating Nepal’s health system response and its long-term recovery is remarkably straightforward: It’s about the people. Almost two months after the April 25 quake, for Nepal’s 5.6 million affected citizens, the health-related challenges are ongoing and demand the unflagging solidarity of those with the capacity to help. 

 

POONAM KHETRAPAL SINGH is World Health Organisation regional director for Southeast Asia.