Kathmandu, April 10: President Ramchandra Paudel said that the constitution had prioritized making basic healthcare services accessible to all and thus emphasized that this provision should be implemented.
Inaugurating the 33rd anniversary of the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) and 10th national summit of the health and population scientists here today, President Paudel spoke of the need to make basic healthcare services completely free of cost.
“The constitution has prioritized making healthcare services accessible to all citizens, providing healthcare services free of cost and to maintain equal access and share for all,” Paudel said, drawing the attention of government towards implementation of this provision.
The Head of the State viewed that it was necessary to conduct continuous study, research and development in the health sector to identify various problems prevailing the health sector and to address them.
In the latest changing context, he suggested to accord top priority to health issues such as non-communicable diseases, climate change, infectious diseases among others should be highly prioritized.
Furthermore, he appealed, “I urged the health scientists to work diligently on gathering fact-based evidences to support the Ministry of Health and Population in devising policies and strategies and to ensure universal access to healthcare services.”
He saw the need for the government of Nepal to increase investment in health research and encouraging innovation to obtain the health sector’s goals specified as in the national and international documents.
Paudel also viewed that cooperation among educational institution, industries and government should be enhanced to implement the research’s findings.
Lauding NHRC’s role in prevention and control of COVID-19 by conducting scientific study on the global pandemic, he expressed his confidence that the summit would furnish timely and appropriate recommendations to the government about measures to be adopted by the government to increase maximum knowledge and skills in health and population sector and create favorable environment for adequate researches and studies.
Also speaking in the inaugural, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population Upendra Yadav argued that prosperity, development and socialism could not be imagined without scientific research and studies.
DPM Yadav said that the findings and facts and figures induced from researches had an important place in formulating policies favoring society and country. “Research plays an important role in promoting equity by addressing existing inequalities in the health sector in accordance with the basic principles of sustainable development.”
Similarly, National Planning Commission’s member-secretary Prof Dr Shivaraj Adhikari commended the NHRC for regulating research in health sector, creating an environment for encouraging quality studies and assisting in formulating health policies planning and programmes.
Likewise, Dr Roshan Pokharel, Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population, said that he was confident that the summit would help formulating policies and plans in health sector.
NHRC’s Chairperson Prof Dr Gehanath Baral hoped that the summit would be useful in chart out priorities in research health sector and make full resolution to fulfill Sustainable Development Goals.
The three-day summit commenced from today with the slogan ‘Research and innovations on Health and Population for achieving Sustainable Development Goals’. Researches and thematic experts from home abroad will hold discussions relating to health sector during the event, it was shared. #nepal
