NHEA Activities & Impact

Nepal has made significant progress in improving population health, with increased life expectancy and reduced maternal and child mortality. However, the country faces a shifting burden of disease towards non communicable diseases and injuries, alongside persistent gaps in financial risk protection. Despite some progress in Universal Health Coverage (UHC), limited public investment- Only 1.7% of GDP- and low health insurance coverage, particularly among the poorest, have contributed to rising out-of-pocket spending and increasing rates of catastrophic health expenditure. With the Probability of Premature Mortality/ Death (PPD) still above global averages, a robust health financing assessment is essential to inform strategies that strengthen financial risk protection and address the evolving burden of disease with equitable outcomes. Following the launch of the Global Health 2050 report by the Lancet commission on investing in health 3.0 (CIH) the national chapter of CIH, under the aegis of the global CIH, will be launched in Nepal and will work in generating a recommendation for a balanced path of achieving health gain and improving financial risk protection, with a focus on harmonizing the fragmented and potentially inefficient health financing schemes. The theme of Nepal CIH will be “Spending wisely in Health: Redesigning the Health Financing architecture of Nepal”.

With the purpose of supporting Nepal’s policy direction towards a balanced path of improving health status and financial risk protection, the Nepal CIH aims to analyze the “allocative efficiency of resources” and “technical efficiency of healthcare delivery system”. This core analysis will be complemented by a contextual analysis of the population health status, alongside targeted analysis of interrelated domains as outlined in the specific objectives below. The findings will inform actionable policy recommendations and guide the strategic redesign of Nepal’s health financing architecture, with the objective of enhancing equity, efficiency, and sustainability in Nepal’s path to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The overall approach will include a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to health financing reform, involving expert input, rigorous analysis, and stakeholder engagement. The task will be led by a core technical team comprised of experts from Nepal and representative expert from the Global CIH. This will be further supported by a technical advisory team and a policy advisory team. In addition, there will be a network of commissioners representing both national and international stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience to contribute to the task in Nepal, as detailed below. Additional experts and stakeholders can be invited as a part of network of commissioners as and when required.