Reply To: Discussion Forum 3

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As per WHO Rehabilitation Needs Estimator, in Nepal every 1 in 4 could benefit from rehabilitation. There are 8 million people who experienced health conditions that could benefit from rehabilitation. Nepal has key rehabilitation professions, but there is a shortage relative to the population’s needs. Academic course is available within Nepal for three professions: physiotherapy, audiology speech-language therapy, and clinical psychology. However, for all other rehabilitation professions, individuals must seek education abroad. Only 4% of rehabilitation personnel in Nepal are employed in government health services, with the majority (96%) working in the private sector. Nepal faces a shortage of longer-stay rehabilitation facilities and beds, leaving many individuals in need of intensive rehabilitation without access to such care. The rehabilitation departments, wards, and beds located at large tertiary hospitals are also insufficient to meet the demand.
Government tertiary hospitals have begun incorporating rehabilitation services, with 100% of them offering physiotherapists (PT). However, none of these hospitals currently have an interdisciplinary team established for rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation services are notably scarce in both secondary and primary healthcare facilities in Nepal. However, physiotherapists are placed in secondary/ district level hospitals by government as per the available provision. In addition, there has been initiated task shifting intervention at primary level of care to medical officers and health care workers which yet needs to be strengthened.