RIGHT TO HEALTH 3 – Dental, Gynecological, and Cardiology Camps in Nepal
The project intervenes in three priority sectors in the context of the intervention area (Upper Pharping and Kathmandu, Nepal), offering free screening and treatment to the most disadvantaged people to protect cardiological health, female reproductive health and oral health. The project also dedicates a significant component to education on the behaviors to be adopted to prevent pathologies in the three areas. The chosen strategy is based on setting up mobile medical camps aimed at reaching beneficiaries in their usual areas of residence, in order to maximize their possibility of access to treatment and prevention. At the end of the intervention, at least 2000 minors will have had access to cardiological screening and training on correct lifestyles, at least 100 women will have had access to screening programs, visits and/or gynecological care; at least 1100 people will have had access to dental care and oral hygiene education.
The context
In Nepal, the health system is deficient and accessible only to a very limited segment of the population. Also due to the global economic crisis, a growing number of people find themselves in conditions of extreme poverty and therefore do not have access to prevention, protection and health care programs: even minor pathologies are often worsened irreparably.
In the context of the intervention – the peripheral areas of Kathmandu and Upper Pharping – three areas of particular criticality are identified:
- Cardiovascular health: in 2017, deaths caused by cardiovascular disease were 26.9% of the total. The incidence and mortality rates associated with them have been continuously increasing since 1990, with a greater impact among males and older age groups.
- Oral health: in Nepal, dental care is provided almost exclusively by private practices with rates that are unaffordable for the majority of the population: simple cavities, untreated gingivitis and periodontitis cause serious consequences.
- Reproductive health: In Nepal, in the decade 2010-2020, teenage pregnancies affected 88 girls per 100,000. Only 58% of births take place in the presence of specialized medical personnel (data: UN Population Fund). The disparity in access to prevention and treatment regarding reproductive health generates serious effects: most cases of cervical cancer (the most common among Nepalese women), for example, are diagnosed at an advanced stage and explain the high mortality rate correlated with it.
Activities
- Gynecological mobile camps
- Doctors for Peace and the partner Benchen Monastery Free Clinic intend to organize 6 gynecological mobile camps in the area surrounding the Upper Pharping (mountainous area located south of Kathmandu) in order to help ensure the protection of the reproductive health of girls and women in conditions of severe socio-economic marginalization living in the area.
- Mobile Dental Fields:
- During the project, 6 mobile dental camps will also be organized to offer dental care to at least 1100 people in socio-economic disadvantaged conditions. The free provision of care will also be an opportunity to convey to the beneficiaries notions of oral hygiene education, in order to preserve the health of the oral cavity and prevent further diseases.
- Mobile cardiology camps:
- During the project, Doctors for Peace and the partner organization Save The Heart organize 2 mobile cardiology camps for 2000 students from schools in the Pharping Area, in order to diagnose any heart disease early and/or identify risk factors for the onset of cardiovascular disease.
