Bhaktapur declared fully immunized district

BHAKTAPUR: Bhaktapur has been officially declared a fully immunized district.

The announcement was made during a special program organized by the District Immunization Coordination Committee in Suryabinayak, where Bagmati Province Health Minister Kiran Thapa presented the official certificate of full immunization assurance and sustainability.

Previously, all four municipalities of the district had individually been declared fully immunized. Now, with this district-level recognition, Bhaktapur becomes one of the few regions in Nepal to achieve full vaccination coverage across its entire population.

Speaking at the event, Minister Thapa highlighted the importance of preventive healthcare and announced a new initiative under the Chief Minister’s Health Program.

“Since the Chief Minister’s Health Program has not been as effective as envisioned, we will now mobilize teams of health workers and volunteers to conduct household visits for early detection of non-communicable diseases,” he said.

He also announced that the volunteers would be provided with stipends and a monthly communication allowance of Rs. 1,000.

Thapa added that Bhaktapur Hospital and Hetuada Hospital will be developed as 24-hour telemedicine hubs. He highlighted that the provincial government is working toward upgrading hospitals, recruiting additional staff, and distributing modern medical equipment.

He also mentioned that yoga instructors in the province would now require certification through government training programs to be officially recognized.

Furthermore, Minister Thapa stated that the province has begun offering MD and MBBS programs, and that incomplete health posts and provincial hospital buildings—such as Bhaktapur Hospital—would be completed with allocated budgets.

Speaking at the program, Bagmati Province Health Secretary Dr. Sumitra Gautam stressed the importance of sustaining immunization achievements and ensuring no child is left unvaccinated. She said that the immunization program has significantly contributed to reducing child mortality by up to 80 percent in recent years.

Bagmati Province Assembly Members Suresh Shrestha and Dhaneshwari Prajapati, Chief District Officer Bharatmani Pandey, Immunization Section Chief Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, and other officials emphasized the need to continue and strengthen the immunization program in the days to come.

Anjana Khadka, Chief of the Bhaktapur District Public Health Office, noted that her team had reached every household to ensure no child was left out of immunization. She committed to maintaining the district’s fully immunized status and ensuring sustainable immunization coverage.

At the event, the four municipalities, supporting institutions, and local female community health volunteers were honored for their contribution to achieving full immunization in Bhaktapur.