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About Non-Communicable Disease Wing

Non-communicable diseases - diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory conditions are Nepal's quietly growing crisis. The NCD Wing exists to confront this head-on through mass screening, community education, and long-term prevention programs that reach populations before disease takes hold.

SWASTHA SAANS NEPAL: BREATHING LIFE INTO THE NATION

Nationwide Lung Health Awareness Initiative In Nepal

" #BreatheEasyNepal #BreatheFreeNepal #SpeakOutNepal "

LIVE TRACKING

Project Progress Overview

Phase 1 - Clinical Proof Of Concept (COMPLETED)

The first phase was executed as a single-day intensive health camp on 21 December 2025 at Triveni-5, Nerpa, Rolpa District, Province No. 5, funded entirely by GAAPP. Rolpa was selected as the pilot site because its conditions — near-universal biomass fuel dependence, high tobacco use, poor indoor ventilation, rugged terrain, and severely limited access to healthcare — mirror those of hundreds of rural districts across Nepal. A total of 308 patients were served with a comprehensive six-service clinical package including general health screening (BP, RBS, BMI), portable spirometry, digital chest X-ray, specialist medical consultation, hands-on inhaler technique training, essential medicine distribution, health education sessions in Nepali, individual counselling, and referral linkages to local health posts. Spirometry confirmed a 70% obstructive lung disease burden in patients tested. Pre-training inhaler technique error rate stood at 65%, which was reduced to 92% accuracy following hands-on individual demonstration — an absolute improvement of 27 percentage points. 85% of patients expressed an intention to seek early care following their consultation. 95% of diagnosed patients received free essential medicines. As a landmark commitment to continuity of care beyond the camp, two qualified Medical Officers have been formally deployed in Rolpa District for a continuous period of eight months, spanning all three project phases, to monitor the 308 camp patients, supervise Phase 2 outreach, and contribute field evidence for Phase 3 advocacy.

Phase 2 - Community Scaling: Gramin Swastha Saans (PLANNED / UPCOMING)

The second phase, titled Gramin Swastha Saans (Rural Healthy Breath), is a Community Outreach Program (COP) designed to scale the project's impact across all seven provinces of Nepal. Twenty-five Lung Health Champions — selected volunteers with health or science backgrounds, local language fluency, and deep community embeddedness — will be mobilized to conduct standardized lung health education sessions. Each volunteer will cover a minimum of 50 adults per session, targeting a combined reach of 1,250 or more community members. The total budget for Phase 2 is NPR 1,25,000 (fully funded by GAAPP), with NPR 5,000 disbursed per volunteer upon successful three-tier verification. The implementation timeline spans ten weeks: Week 1–2 for volunteer mobilization and recruitment; Week 3 for a two-hour virtual Master Training of Trainers (ToT) orientation and Volunteer Knowledge Kit distribution; Weeks 4–8 for decentralized session delivery; and Weeks 9–10 for three-tier verification (documentation review, telephone callbacks, and geolocation cross-checking) and incentive disbursement. Each session follows a standardized framework covering the definition and types of CRDs, Nepal-specific risk factors (indoor biomass smoke, tobacco, occupational dust, altitude, TB history), warning signs and early care-seeking, prevention steps, and health system navigation — all delivered in the primary spoken language of the host community. Pre-session and post-session knowledge quizzes are administered at every session to measure learning gain. Geographic selection prioritizes communities in Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces, brick kiln clusters, high-altitude settlements, Terai districts with near-total biomass fuel dependence, and communities with no prior lung health outreach. The estimated cost per beneficiary is NPR 100, with zero administrative overhead at the Phase 2 level.

Phase 3 - Systems-Level Advocacy: Six Pillars Of National Transformation (PLANNED / UPCOMING)

Phase 3 represents the apex of the Swastha Saans Nepal model — the translation of clinical evidence from Phase 1 and community voices from Phase 2 into lasting national systems change. The advocacy strategy is structured around six pillars: (1) Awareness — integrating COPD and lung health screening into the existing FCHV training curriculum for Nepal's approximately 35,000 frontline community health volunteers, with a projected impact of identifying 100,000 or more undiagnosed COPD cases per year; (2) Prevention — scaling up improved cookstove distribution through the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and embedding lung health messaging in clean cooking campaigns, targeting a 40% reduction in indoor air pollution exposure over five years; (3) Diagnosis — deploying portable spirometers to all 753 local governments (Palikas) and developing a Nepal-specific clinical algorithm for COPD diagnosis, with a target of 80% of health posts being capable of diagnosing COPD within two years; (4) Treatment — including essential COPD medicines (salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, inhaled corticosteroids) in the National Free Drugs List and training all health workers in proper inhaler technique, enabling 500,000 or more COPD patients to access affordable treatment; (5) Data — incorporating spirometry and standardized respiratory questionnaires into the next Nepal Demographic and Health Survey or commissioning a dedicated national COPD prevalence study to establish a robust national evidence base; and (6) Policy — developing and officially adopting Nepal's first National COPD Strategy integrating health, environment, women's empowerment, and agriculture sectors under multi-ministerial ownership. Phase 3 will engage the Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare, development partners, and all 753 Palikas with a consolidated evidence package drawn from Phases 1 and 2.

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PROJECT CHETANA: AN URBAN HEALTH PROGRAM & NCDS ORIENTATION PROGRAM

LIVE TRACKING

Project Progress Overview

Phase 1: NCDs Orientation

Phase 2: NCDs Screening

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Wing Members

The following national NHAFN members operate under this Wing.

Our Partners & Supporters

Discover the organizations, collaborators, and community voices that stand with us and share their experiences of our work.

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