Health Services | First Aid Division
Recognizing the ‘Health as a Right’ entrusted by the Constitutional provision of Nepal and appreciating the role of the state in ensuring health services, Nepal Red Cross Society seeks to complement and supplement government efforts in health services. It also adheres to the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement in planning, designing and delivery of health services.
Annually, around two million people benefited from the NRCS health programmes.
Our Eye Health programme includes two hospitals, 26 eye care centers, and provide eye care service to more than 170,000 people annually, including over 12,000 cataract surgeries. Also, through NRCS Health Services the ambulance service quality has improved, and services expanded. More than one hundred thousand patients are transported annually. First Aid services reach yearly 10,000 people, which include training of volunteers, standardized First Aid training packages, promotional FA courses, and road safety programme. In addition to the previously mentioned, Health Services have distributed Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria. Measles rubella campaign has been in place in the districts around the country.
Four strategic aims for Health Services:
- Improved community health and reduced risk through integrated community-based health
- Increased access and improved quality of facility-based health
- Save lives and reduce risks through health in emergencies
- Well-functioning NRCS Health Services Department
Read more about the Health Department on the Operational Plan 2018-2020 and on NRCS Health Strategy 2016-2020.
Brief history of Health Services
The first health activity of Nepal Red Cross implemented immediately after its birth in 1963. It was a provision of emergency transport of the people through four ambulances provided by the Government.
The first blood bank was established in 1966, and the First Aid program was also introduced in the same year. It also provided health services to the people through mobile camps, which were discontinued in the late seventies. During the 80’s Nepal Red Cross expanded and consolidated first aid, blood and ambulance services; introduced acute respiratory infection services (ARI) implemented family planning, eye care, and water sanitation programs on a large scale.
During the 90’s family planning services were implemented in different models, and awareness program on HIV/AIDS was introduced targeting youth. Similarly, the year 2001 to 2010 HIV/AIDS and ASRH programme further expanded with care and support components and a more integrated health programme initiated. After 2010 polio and measles campaigns initiated together with the MOHP. A comprehensive LLINs distribution and BCC programme have been implemented in 25 more districts.
In recent years, health-focused preparedness and capacity building programmes, Rural Emergency and Trauma System Strengthening programme, Red Cross Emergency Clinic, Emergency health response preparedness and Ending child marriage have been going on.
Contact
| Name | Designation | Responsibilities | Contact |
| Dr. Manita Rajkarnikar | Director | Overall departmental coordination | manita.rajkarnikar@nrcs.org |
| Shiva Ram Gautam | Deputy Director | First Aid Division | shivaram.gautam@nrcs.org, 9851251614 |
| Bal Krishna Sedai | Deputy Director | RETSS management and eye hospital coordination | balkrishna.sedai@nrcs.org, 9851109676 |
Programs
| Program | Districts | Partner | Target Population | |
| 1 | Pre-hospital Care Program (Ambulance services) | Throughout Nepal | Various Partners | Whole population |
| 2 | Psycho-social Support Program | Chitwan | Korean Red Cross Society, IFRC | |
| 3 | Eye-care Services: Shree Janaki Eye Hospital Surkhet Eye Hospital | Province 2 & 3, Karnali Province | The Fred Hollows Foundation, Swiss Red Cross | Whole population |
| 4 | Rural Emergency and Trauma System Strengthening (RETSS) | Sindhupalchok and Kavre | Canadian Red Cross | Healthcare providers: 850 General public: 650,000 |
| 5 | Red Cross Emergency Clinic (RCEC) | NRCS HQs | Movement and non-Movement Partners | |
| 6 | Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (RMNCAH) | Sindhuli DC | Canadian Red Cross | |
| 7 | Community Based Health and First Aid | Palpa, Ribdikot-8, Arghakhanchi, Sandhikharka-5 | Australian Red Cross | |
| 8 | Emergency Health Programme | Gulmi | Italian Red Cross, IFRC | |
| 9 | Community Empowerment for Health Promotion Program | 4 | Swiss Red Cross | 76,770 |
First Aid Division
First Aid (FA) is one of the lifesaving skills as an accident is such an occurrence that nobody can predict when, where, upon whom and what would happen. It is indeed wise to be prepared for such happenings beforehand. In some cases, first aid skills could be the only way for saving lives until medical services are available.
Until today, more than 30,000 people have been trained in the First Aid curriculum developed by the Nepal Red Cross Society providing services in public gatherings, social events, national ceremonies, road traffic accidents, community-level services, and many other areas. First Aid is one of the pioneer activities of Nepal Red Cross Society and has become one of the major flagship components of the national society.
First Aid Division implements activities in two dimensions, in Promotional First Aid (PFA) which is a regular program, and in project-based activities including for example Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA), and First Aid and Road Safety. Promotional First Aid trainings are aimed at the organizations, private sector actors and all the individuals who want to equip their staff or themselves with life-saving skills.
CBHFA is the Red Cross’ Global tool of comprehensive health promotion. It targets the community level to empower the communities themselves in a regular, emergency-scenario based training to promote health and prevent illness.
First Aid Training Courses are offered:
- One-day First Aid Orientation
- Two-day First Aid Training
- Basic First Aid Training
Read more on the First Aid training curriculum and book a training here.
History of the Division
First Aid Division, a wing under NRCS Health Service Department, undergo project-based implementation of the activities and Promotional First Aid, which means demand-based FA trainings offered for the organizations, communities, companies and other external partners.
The division was ones under the Community Development Department of NRCS Where a “First Aid Section” operated via the “Community Based First Aid” (CBFA) implemented as a Pilot Project with a five-year program cycle (1997-2001). It was supported by many Partner National Societies through the coordination of South Asia Regional Delegation (Delhi) of the Federation of Red Cross Society and Red Crescent Society.
Following the resolution of the Workshop of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the Asia Pacific Region held in Beijing, China in 1993, Community Based First Aid (CBFA) was been developed by Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS). Later on, it evolved as Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA), and now as e-CBHFA, which is the most used Red Cross Red Crescent Movement’s global tool.
First Aid training was in initial days of the establishment of National Society taken as a component in Disaster Risk Reduction measures. With the wave of change, importance of FA was realized over time with its significant remark on the Nepal Civil War (also known as the Maoist Conflict) period between 1996 to 2006 reaching 80,000 beneficiaries with FA services with wide mobilization of volunteer and staff signifying NRCS movement as an independent, neutral and impartial organization of the country. At the same time, First aid volunteer’s mobilization during the 2006 Democracy Movement signified the importance of first aid knowledge and skills. During the mobilization, more than 12,000 people received first aid services throughout the country.
Contact: firstaid@nrcs.org