In accordance with the core motto "ensuring health rights of communities through oral health", HDSN is committed to working in Nepal with focus on preventive and promotive activities on health while expanding and extending the services.

Thank you very much for the interest to establish a health center that could serve thousands of the villagers in the rural area. We are coordinating with different groups to make it possible. For the queries you have about the health centers:

1. Are there currently health workers in the community?

   There is a health worker assigned by the government of Nepal. The local government has pledged to provide one staff nurse and one paramedic soon after the establishment of the health center.

2. If there are community health workers, where are they treating patients presently?

   Currently, the nearest health center is 2-3 hours walk from the village. The local government and central government are coordinating for the permanent staffs in the health center.

3. Has land been acquired for the clinic?

   The local community people have already donated land for the establishment of the health center.

4. Are there architectural drawings of the proposed Health Clinic?

   The community is trying to build the health center according to the financial possibilities. The design will be according to the availability of the budget. However, there will be one birthing center, one OPD, laboratory, store. Along with these room, there will be separate toilets for male, female and disable people.

5. You propose using prefab materials in the construction. Why do you prefer prefab to more permanent construction materials?

   We don't have enough budgets for the permanent health center. Currently we are looking for the solution to provide the service and in the long run we can think about the permanent health center. It is assured that prefabricated materials also last for more than 25 years. If we have budget available, permanent construction would have been better than prefab.

6. Are there other funding partners for the proposed clinic in addition to the local community members?

   The local government from the village has pledged to provide some support for the running of the health center. Local community has been donating for the establishment of the health centers. However villagers are poor so that the money they donated will not be enough for the construction. We can appreciate their enthusiasm to construct the health center.

7. What is the involvement of the Ministry of Health and the government in the community?

   For the construction of the health center, we have already taken the permission and asked for assigning permanent health workers in the health center. Local government will create the fund to pay the health workers. The local government will have a committee to run the health center. After the construction of the health center the committee of the health center will run the clinic. They will see for the most effective way to run and sustainability of the clinic.

8. Will the government provide medicines if a clinic is built?

   Yes, the government of Nepal will provide the medicines that are distributed for free. The procedure for delivery of the medicines has already been started and they have pledged to provide the medicine as soon as the health center is built. There won't be the problem of the medicine. The facilities provided will be same as provided by other health centers of the government.