The Ministry of Health (MoH) and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) have reached an agreement to establish 11 health centres inside Kathmandu district to increase healthcare access to the urban poor. 

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to this effect on Friday between the MoH and the KMC.

As per the agreement, they plan to bring these clinics into operation within a month. The ministry and the metropolis also plan to set up similar health centres in all wards of Kathmandu district. 

In the first phase, the 11 health centres will be established Chabahil, Maitidevi, Naxal, Kuleshwor, Lainchaur, Old Bus Park, Mitranagar, Dallu, Balaju and Bafal. 

According to District Public Health Office of Kathmandu, health centres in Kuleshwor and Chabahil will be functional in a week. 

The health centres will provide free basic health services including medicines and basic laboratory tests. They are also expected to play a vital role in disseminating information about non-communicable diseases. It will also conduct public health inspection including inspection of food, meat and water quality. 

Family planning services, services on reproductive and sexual health, immunisation, nutrition, mental health services will also be available at these centres, the ministry said. 

“The urban poor oftentimes are left out when it comes to accessing health services. And since their number is significant, targeting these people is essential through the health centres,” said Bhogendra Dotel, spokesperson for the Health Ministry. 

The recent move of the MoH comes amid global effort to focus particularly 

on urban cities. 

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 70 percent of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050. 

Cities are facing a triple threat—infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases; non-communicable diseases like asthma, heart disease, cancer and diabetes; and violence and injuries, according to the WHO.

Many studies have shown that children of the poorest urban quintile are more likely to be malnourished than those in rural areas while they even lack basic health services. 

Experts believe that people living in slums and the poor face more problems accessing basic health services in cities than in the rural areas and hence such health promotion centres are essential to these groups.