Background :

Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), established in 1963, is the largest humanitarian organization in Nepal. The Society has been engaged in providing humanitarian assistance through out the country since its inception. The health services of Nepal Red Cross Society have been governed by functional committees that are extended form of central executive committee, the apex body for policy making. The NRCS, since its inception, has been carrying out public require health services to the most vulnerable communities by mobilizing its volunteers and professionals aiming at "improving the health status of the targeted communities and reducing their vulnerability".

Vision for health : Improved health status of the vulnerable people

Mission for health : Nepal Red Cross Society, guided by RC fundamental principles, is committed to deliver quality services for improving health status of the vulnerable people by mobilizing its nationwide network of volunteers and staff, and in partnership with communities and other stakeholders.

Health Situation of Nepal :Nepal has witnessed quite encouraging results on some health aspects over the period, however, the conflict situation has added new dimensions to already existing natural hardships due to difficult topography of the country. The table below provides a brief picture health situation in Nepal:

The causes of death is dominated by infectious disease, nutritional disorders and problems related to reproductive health (49.7%), Non-communicable and congenital problems (42.1%), Injuries and accidents (6.9%) and Unclassified (1.3%). Sri Janakspital (SJEH)
Services of NRCS in Health Sectors : The NRCS delivers the following health services as identified in its Health Policy & Strategy:

Brief descriptions of the health & care services in the community are as follows:

Blood Transfusion Service (BTS): In order to ensure adequate, safe and timely supply of blood and blood products meeting the requirements in an equitable and affordable manner the BTS has been established in 1966. The government has given sole responsibility to NRCS to carry out BTS in Nepal. The BTS is one of the vital services that have been offering through 57 centers of 41 districts. As per commitment to provide safe blood, the NRCS screens all the collected blood and tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C and VDRL as well. All the blood is collected through voluntary non remunerated blood donors. It also prepares different components of blood like plasma; platelet etc. and supplies as per the needs.

Ambulance Service: The society, since 1965, has been running ambulance service aiming at providing quick and safe transport service to the wounded and sick patient to the hospital. The ambulance service has reached to 77 stations of 56 districts. As lifeline service, the society has been providing free services to victims of mass casualty, disasters and accidents. Over the years, NRCS local units are managing and expanding the services.

HIV/AIDS Programme: Realizing rapid transmission and long term socio economic impact of HIV/AIDS, the NRCS has been implementing its five year operational plan (2006-2010) in line with the HIV/AIDS Strategy (2004-008). The aim of the HIV/AIDS Program is to contribute in reduction of the burden of HIV/AIDS in Nepal through strengthened local response, community-based prevention, care and anti-stigma activities in collaboration with other partners. The major components of the project include prevention of further transmission, care and support for the infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, promotion of blood safety and institutional capacity development of Red Cross branches for effective management and delivery of HIV/AIDS services. The primary target groups of the programme are: PLHIV and their family members, young people in and out of school aged 10-29, migrant workers and their spouses and VNRBD. The HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support projects are being implemented in 31 districts of the country.As per the needs of the communities, nature of the project, funding partners and geographical locations, different modalities have been adopted for implementing the programmes. The following strategies have been adapted for smooth operation of the HIV/AIDS programmes: Capacity building, Partnership with PLHIV and concerned stakeholders, Gender sensitivity, Social/volunteer mobilization, Institutional development, Co-ordination, linkage and networking. The society has started its HIV/AIDS prevention activities since 1991 and it has already reached to around 2.5 million people of 50 districts. The project has adopted life skill based peer education, IEC/BCC and home based care approaches for prevention and care.

Building Demand for Reproductive Health (BuD for RH) Project: Since June 2004, the Bud for RH project is being implemented in Udayapur district with the aim of providing reproductive health education and empowering in-school and out-of-school adolescent girls of age 10-19 through health based literacy (non-formal education) program and group mobilization to make informed decisions regarding their reproductive health. The major strategic components of the project are social mobilization and advocacy, networking to strengthen local health service system and roll out of NFE girls in formal schooling. The project has created the broad awareness on reproductive health and empowered adolescent girls for increasing service seeking practices. A significant enrollment of newly literate adolescent girls in the school has been increased and supportive environment have been created for the same.

Eastern Region Family Planning Expansion Project (ERFPEP): The ERFPEP Project was started in September 2005 aiming at preventing maternal and infant morbidity by increasing Family Planning (FP) usage rates thereby reducing mis-timed unwanted high risk pregnancies, and concomitantly improving general child health and welfare by promoting child spacing. The project contributes to implement family planning delivery policy and reproductive health strategy of Nepal. The project is being implemented in six districts of the country namely Udayapur, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Terathum, Okhaldhunga and Sankhuwasabha. Major target groups of the project are married couple of reproductive age, youth aged 15 -25 and government health staffs. The major strategies of the project are to mobilize community to increase use of quality family planning services and strengthen public health systems; ensure quality family planning.

Janakpur Regional Eye Care Programme & Eye Hospital: With the vision of "Sight for all with empathy and quality eye care", the Eye Care Programme is being implemented in Janakpur Zone. The aim of the programme is to provide quality services to patients at the hospital, expand the outreach coverage and integrate the eye care programme with health network of HMG and other agencies involved in prevention of blindness.To combat the problem of blindness, local community in Janakpur area took the initiative in 1959 to organize seasonal eye camps particularly Cataract Surgery and established Shri Janaki Eye Hospital (SJEH) in 1982. The SJEH has been delivering quality surgical services as well as primary eye care services through hospital and primary eye care centers situated in Janakpur Zone. The hospital has its own OPD and Administrative building and more essential modern equipments and 50 beds. There is the plan to change it in 100 beds within 2006. The outreach programs are also run to provide this service at a community level. Annually, more than 100,000 patients are benefited and approximately 7000 surgeries are done under the Janakpur Regional Eye Care Programme.

Community Eye Care and Health Promotion Programme (CEHP): Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) has been implementing Community Eye Care and Health Promotion Programme (CEHP) since March 2001 in mid western region. The main components of the CEHP are prevention of blindness, that is guided by the "Vision 2020: The Right to Sight", the global initiatives against blindness. This project also addresses other important health priorities that include promotion of important segment of primary health care - as improvement on access to water and sanitation, promotion of safe-motherhood practices, prevention of encephalitis, eye care and HIV/AIDS. As a cross-cutting component, the programme also supports the district chapters to enhance their institutional capacity.

Community Development Programme (CDP):The CDP aims at increasing the level of awareness and improving basic health conditions of the most vulnerable communities and building of the capacities of the communities. The NRCS had started Community Based Health Programme in 1980 that is evolved as Community Development Programme. The programme includes primary health, drinking water and sanitation non formal education, and self help scheme and institutional development.

Drinking Water and Sanitation Program : The society has more than 20 years experience in implementation of Drinking Water and Sanitation Programme. The society had covered 40 districts of the country and contributed to increase 9 percent national access to safe drinking water. The programme was phased over in 2003 and initiated arsenic mitigation programme for reducing health hazards associated with arsenic contamination. Likewsie, the society is being involved in carrying out drinking water and sanitation programme in Jhapa district since August 2005 for two years. The major components of the programme include providing drinking water services and institutional development of local RC units and users committees.In addition to this, with the aim to improve health and sanitation environment in schools and surrounding communities, and to promote mutual understanding and friendship, the Junior/Youth Red Cross Drinking Water and Sanitation Programme was started in 1984. JRC/RCY circles serve as a change agent for adopting healthy sanitation habits and demonstrating good sanitation practices in the community. The JRC/RCYs are actively involved in changing sanitation behavior in the schools and communities through imitating sanitation campaign and other regular visits. Different child group's activities with the participation of circle members are initiated at the community level. The child groups' activities in the communities are established for the improvement and continuation of sanitation behavior.

First Aid Programme : First Aid is one of the foremost services widely provided through NRCS organizational networks. The first aid service is gradually being institutionalized up to the community level units. The aim of First Aid service is to provide services to the wounded and sick at the time of accidents, disaster, conflicts and other incidents. Besides this, Community Based First Aid (CBFA) services have also been implemented by the society since 1996 with the aim to help communities to enable them to tackle priority health problems, manage injuries and illness, and prevent and control diseases by creating awareness and mobilizing local resources. Health promotion is central to CBFA and underpins many of its activities. Likewise, since 2001 NRCS has given due consideration to provide First Aid services to the conflict affected people where heavy casualties may take place.

Physical Rehabilitation of Amputees: Nepal Red Cross Society has been cooperating to rehabilitate amputees who have lost lower limbs due to conflicts or accidents. The service is based on tri-partite collaboration and is being provided at Green Pasture Hospital Pokhara with technical and financial support of ICRC. The role of NRCS network is to identify the amputees and refer them to the hospital.

Health Education: The NRCS carries out health education campaign through developing and distributing IEC materials to create awareness about health and hygiene and to prevent disease outbreak epidemics. The society has been observing special days and events like Condom Day, World AIDS Day, Safe Motherhood Day and immunization campaign etc for generating awareness.

Other Health Services:District chapters and sub chapters are providing the following health services on their own initiation:

• Acupuncture Treatment cum Training Centre- Kathmandu
• Community Maternity Centre-Dhanusha
• Snake bite Treatment Centre-Jhapa
• Disable Rehabilitation Centre-Morang
• HIV/AIDS Prevention and Counselling-Kailali, Doti and kanchanpur
• Drinking Water and Sanitation-
• Community Eye Care centre- Sindhupalchok, Nuwakot

Our Partners: HMG/Nepal, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ICRC, Swiss Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross, Belgian Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Korean Red Cross, Global Fund/UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Canadian International Development Agency, USAID, Indian Embassy, Japanese Embassy, NNJS, Tilganga Eye Hospital, Indian Embassy, Lions/Lio Clubs, CEDPA, ADRA, CARE Nepal, Fund Board

For details, please contact us: health@nrcs.org