The three day long 2^nd Global Nepali health Conference concluded by promulgating the twenty-six point Declaration of Global Nepali Health.

“The declaration has received widespread recognition and applaud”, said Dr. Sanjeeb Sapkota the chairperson of the conference and the Health Committee of Non-Resident Nepali Association.

The declaration is comprehensive and futuristic yet it has specific details and action plan, Said Dr. Sapkota.

“The declaration we promulgated is our collective voice of Nepali community and our recognition and acknowledgement of the health challenges, issues and opportunities Nepali around the world face, however, it does not mean we are going to address all of these right away next year. What it means is we acknowledge what challenges and opportunities we face.”’

Below is the full 26 points of the draft Declaration of Global Nepali Health Conference.

 

 

Declaration of  NRNA Global  Health Conference 2nd NRNA Global  Health Conference

Sept 18-20, 2020

(Mitigating pandemic through health, research, collaboration, and action)

Sept 18-20, 2020

Global Declaration on Health of Nepali People around the World: residing in countries around the world and Nepal

(We, here forth, refers to the participants of the second Global Nepali Health Conference, September 18-20, 2020, (Atlanta, USA and online) individuals, agencies, organizations, or representatives of organizations from different parts of the world, whose work wholly or partly relates to uplifting the health of Nepali people residing inside or outside of Nepal).

 

1. We reaffirm health as a universal right, an essential resource for everyday living, a shared social goal, and a utmost priority for each and every individual of Nepali origin, family, community and country.
2. We recognize and acknowledge that each of us has a unique role in providing quality healthcare for Nepali people across the globe and offer our support to people, partners, and public or private agenices working in this sector.
3. We call for medical doctors, physicians, nurses, surgeons, general practitioners, allied health workers, auxiliary health workers of Nepali origin working in different countries around the world as well as those in Nepal unite and form a network so that they could communicate, share, advise or learn from each other in matters related to the health of Nepali people around the world or outside.
4. Nepalis around the globe are equally impacted by the current pandemic caused by corona virus. However, the pandemic has also paved the way to opportunities for us to unite for the common cause in improving our health care delivery systems, preventive health as well as curative and promotive health. Development of efficient laboratory systems, the safety of doctors, nurses, and health care workers, timely procurement of personal protection equipment, timely production of live saving drugs and vaccines are some of the areas that need instant improvement to continue to combat with this pandemic and future one. We applaud the great dedication and perseverance demonstrated by Nepali healthcare workers and nepali people across the globe in these challenging times.
5. We appreciate the tremendous courage and dedication demonstrated by public health experts for keeping nepali communities safe despite huge challenges and limited resources, during difficult times like the pandemic. We pledge to support the initiatives of public health experts, epidemiologists, policy makers, social workers, and individuals directly or indirectly contributing to improve the health-related quality of life of Nepali individuals.
6. The doctors of Nepali origin affiliated to regional health teams in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Africa or affiliated with medical organizations in the UK, Australia, Nepal, and United States or not affiliated to any but working independently pledge to communicate, share and work together in not only helping improve the lives of Nepali community but also to improve our health delivery practice. We pledge to unite in this global network of Nepali doctors from around the world.
7. The nurses of Nepali origin affiliated to regional health teams in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Africa or affiliated with nurses organizations in the UK, Australia, United States or not affiliated to any but working independently pledge to communicate, share and work together in not only helping improve the lives of Nepali community but also to improve our health delivery practice. We pledge to unite in this global network of Nepali nurses from around the world. At this conference, we are delighted to launch a Global Nepali Nurses Network.
8. Perfect health is incomplete without sound mental health. We call upon all the experts of Nepali origin working in the area of mental health including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychological counselors, behavior, and addiction specialist to join hands together to form a Global Nepali Mental Health Team initiative as a part this conference.
9. The role of alternative medicine like Ayurveda, Yoga, Homeopathy, Acupuncture has long been established to have outstanding potential to relieve, heal, treat, and help recuperate innumerable ailments. Yet these areas of medicine have received much little attention than they deserve. We pledge to promote the value of Evidence based Ayurveda and alternative medicine for the benefit of the Nepali community both in and outside of Nepal and help in the research, production, and dissemination of their products.
10. Research is paramount to the development of the health sector, yet Nepali researchers do not get adequate support and resource they need to carry out the next-big-thing they have on mind. We recognize the challenges faced by Nepali researchers and pledge to work towards mobilizing the resources to provide platforms in international arena, publications in the peer reviewed journals and forming a global network of nepali researchers for knowledge sharing and skill development. We also recognize that there is an increasing need for a scientific journal on the health of global Nepali diaspora. Such a journal will publish articles from researchers around the world whose work relates to the health of people of Nepali origin.
11. Preventive, curative, and promotive aspects of women health together with maternal and child health are significant for the family, community, and the nation as a whole. Yet the disparity in access to quality health care still exists among this vulnerable population. Through this conference we draw attention of all responsible entities to do everything possible to improve and maintain the health of Nepali women and children within Nepal and across the globe.
12. The health of children, adolescents, and youth shapes the future generation. We recognize the importance of School health initiatives, adolescent health programs, and youth initiatives for healthier future of Nepali people. We affirm our support to addressing this population and pledge to bring together the younger generation of Nepali diaspora to support their counterparts in Nepal.
13. Disasters like the pandemic come in various forms. Nepal is not new to natural disasters like flood, landslides, earthquake, disease outbreak etc. We suggest that the efforts of disaster management should include an effective Rapid Action Medical Team, with a designated number of qualified health care professionals, ready for immediate action and for deployment to all rural and urban locations within 24 hours or less time. We also pledge to take initiative to support such team of professionals by providing trainings, capacity building workshops, equipment, as well as technical and logistic help coordinated by the network of the doctors and nurses.
14. We recognize the prevalence and severity of chronic conditions like Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, affecting Nepali people in all locations. The efforts made for health promotion, disease prevention and management of chronic diseases are not adequate. Promoting the concept of holistic health through addiction prevention, smoking cessation, proper nutrition, healthy lifestyle along with wellness interventions and stress management techniques are the necessity of current times which serve the “whole person care” approach. This is in no sense downplaying the value of treatment but this is also to not overlook the value of prevention and allocating resources on them.
15. Diseases of stigmatization including Epilepsy, and mental health problems like depression, suicide percolates our Nepali society, and the individuals with these conditions fear and hesitate to come out to seek medical help. We recognize such hidden diseases and pledge to raise awareness to help remove the stigma and help people get the health care they deserve.
16. We continually strive to support, and raise funds for and establish mobile health vehicles in Nepal: Mobile Clinics, Mobile Mammography, Mobile Blood Collection Bus, Mobile (trauma or general) Hospitals. This also includes organization of frequent medical and surgical camps, technical and logistic support to rural health centers serving remote people of Nepal. We call upon the generous sponsors to support such initiatives.
17. We recognize that the United Nations has put forth the campaign of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that establish a duty to invest in health, ensure universal health coverage and reduce health inequities for people of all ages.
18. We affirm that no Nepali should be left behind when it comes to getting access to health information and services for health care and health promotion. This will also include ensuring health care access to all underprivileged and vulnerable populations in all underserved locations of Nepal.
19. We recognize that each of us can work together when necessary to enhance the output of each of our effort and provide a synergy that translates in safeguarding the health of Nepali people across the globe. The earthquake in Nepal in 2015 is one such example where we all can work individually in the network while providing each of our unique contributions but at the same time be in a network so that we can support each other and avoid duplication. We recognize the need for collaboration between the nurses, paramedics, doctors, skilled or semi-skilled health workers. We also strive to develop a common platform for mutual collaboration, skill development and knowledge sharing among the health professionals serving within various parts of Nepal and those living abroad.
20. We recognize the value of our collaboration in sending a collective voice to the international agencies and national government to protect, safeguard, and maintain the health of the Nepali people. We also endorse the idea of public private partnership (PPP), partnerships within the international & intercontinental NRN committees, and coordination with federal and local government bodies within Nepal.
21. We recognize the health needs of Nepali people vary by geographic region, age, sex, occupation, and health status. A Nepali migrant working in the Middle East, India or Malaysia has different health needs than a Nepali in Nigeria or in the United States. A pregnant mother in remote Humla may have different health needs than an elderly man from Saptari. We affirm that our efforts should be directed towards offering affordable, inclusive, culturally competent, and comprehensive health care services to Nepali of all backgrounds.
22. We deem it important the roles of World Health Organization, UNICEF, International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations High Commission of Refugees, United Nations Human Rights, have distinct value in safeguarding and maintaining the health of Nepali people who are either migrants working outside of Nepal or residing inside Nepal
23. We acknowledge there is no malpractice insurance in Nepal that the health professional can obtain to cover for any malpractice claim filed against them. The doctors, residing outside Nepal, in particular in the United States, can guide the entities in Nepal how such insurance could be provided to the health professionals.
24. We understand the need for adoption of information technology in health services of Nepal including digitization of health records, and adoption of standard procedures and protocols in health care system. This also includes immense relevance of telehealth services to serve the rural people of Nepal. We call upon generous supports from experts of telemedicine to contribute in planning and development of effective telehealth services for Nepal.
25. We see it as a universal truth that health cannot be achieved by the health sector alone and there are needs of partnership and collaboration from the related sector for the optimum health of any individuals. Thus, we encourage all stakeholders to consider health not as an independent factor but as an integral part of an interdisciplinary networks for developmental policy formulations and implementation.
26. For the continuation of the global health momentum we will organize 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th Global Health Conferences in 2021, 2022, 2023 and moving forward thereafter

 

Draft prepared by Health Committee of non-Resident Nepali Association

Proposed and Invited signatories:

Health Committee of Non-resident Nepali Association (NRNA-ICC)

Health Ministry Government of Nepal

Government of Nepal

Nepal Medical Council

Nepal Medical Association

Nepali Doctors Association, United Kingdom

Nepal Australia Medical and Dental Association, Australia

America Nepal Medical Foundation

Society of American Nepali Nurses

Nordic Nepali Medical Association, Norway

Association of Nepali Nurses, United Kingdom

Organization of Bhutanese Communities in the Americas

Africa Nepali Health Team

Europe Nepali Health Team

Association of Nepali Physicians in America

Ayurveda Doctors’ Association of Nepal

Nepal Public Health Laboratory

Nepali Medical Student Society

Nepal Nurses Association

Nepal Association of Medical Laboratory Sciences

Med Talk Nepal

Health Post Nepal

Health Foudation Nepal Other

All other interested organizations are invited