Kathmandu, Dec. 13 -- Federalism was supposed to bring the government closer to the people, decentralise medical care and improve public health at the grassroots. But the new three-tier government structure threatens to undo Nepal's gains in improving health services.
The government's 'adjustment policy' in the medical sector, which lets staff to pick their preferred tier of work, has led many to choose the federal level, leaving provinces and municipalities underserved. The biggest losers are the areas already lacking in services: Province 6 (Karnali) and the Far Western Province.
At the Kolti Primary Health Care Centre in Bajura, there is no doctor, after the one serving here chose to be transferred to Kathmandu. Bajura District Hospi...