“In the first phase we will distribute medicines to psychosis patients from district hospitals as well as health posts,” said Senior Public Health Administrator of the Primary Health Revitalization Division (PHRD) Achyut Lamichhane.
According to Lamichhane, the PHRD and Nepal Mental Hospital (NMH), along with other nongovernmental organizations working in the field of mental illness, will support the public health institutions to run the program. The PHRD has also planned to appoint a focal person, a medical doctor or a trained paramedic, in every district. “The focal person will have advanced knowledge of mental health. Trained health workers at the health post can administer medicines to the patients after final diagnosis by a trained paramedic,” Lamichhane added.
The doctors at the Nepal Mental Hospital will provide advanced tanning to the focal persons. “The focal persons and health workers will also get refresher training on mental health,” he said.
PHRD also plans to provide medicines for depression, neurosis, and epilepsy. But it is yet to finalize the type of medicines. A meeting of specialists will be held shortly to decide the types.
Lamichhane revealed that PHRD has also planned to revise the medicines distributed for free from health institutions. Some of the medicines provided by MoPH are not in use.
“Saline drips are free but people have to buy the pipe. In some places people have to travel for hours to buy the pipe,” Lamichhane said adding the pipe will also be provided for free.
Likewise, PHRD has planned to include the medicines for hypertension in its program. More than 30 percent of the patients from the Himalayan region have high blood pressure, Lamichhane claimed. “They are not in a position to continue medicines for blood pressure as they are expensive,” he said. “We are thinking about adding such medicines in the regular program.”
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