KATHMANDU: Minister for Health and Food Hygiene Nisha Mehta held discussions with health experts on improving burn treatment services in Nepal through healthcare worker capacity building, implementation of integrated treatment standards, and strengthening the treatment system from local to federal levels.
During a courtesy meeting on Thursday, doctors from the Nepal Cleft and Burn Centre, Kirtipur, including Dr Kiran Nakarmi and Dr Shankarman Rai, along with burn awareness campaigner Ujjwal Thapa, discussed the current status, challenges and priorities for improving burn care in Nepal.
The discussion highlighted the need for burn patients to receive appropriate treatment from the earliest stage after an accident. Participants stressed the importance of expanding first-aid knowledge and skills among healthcare workers.
The meeting also discussed providing specialised burn management training to health workers serving at local health facilities, ambulance services, district hospitals, provincial hospitals and federal-level hospitals.
The Ministry said discussions were also held on developing and implementing unified, quality-based and scientific treatment standards for burn patients across healthcare facilities nationwide.
Priority areas included gradually organising burn treatment services at local, provincial and federal levels, ensuring timely referral of critical patients, expanding access to care and improving the quality of treatment.
Minister Mehta said burn treatment would be prioritised as an important component of Nepal’s healthcare system. She also emphasised strengthening cooperation with specialised institutions and campaigners working in the sector.
She said the ministry’s priority was to develop a system that ensures burn patients have easy access to services ranging from initial care to specialised treatment.
The meeting also covered public awareness programmes on burn prevention, improving treatment quality, developing healthcare workers’ capacity, implementing treatment standards and utilising the technical expertise of Nepal Cleft and Burn Centre, Kirtipur, at the national level.
The ministry said discussions were also held on necessary policy reforms, strengthening coordination among different levels of health institutions and identifying areas for future collaboration to make burn treatment services more effective.
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