Cesarean services had been interrupted in Dhading district since three months, seriously limiting access to Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC). Unavailability of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEONC) due to lack of skilled personnel, among other things, had forced pregnant women requiring caesarian sections to travel to Kathmandu to deliver safely.

The devastating 25 April earthquake that has left many women without financial and social resources to go to neighboring districts for EmONC services and the potential landslides with the monsoon rain having just arrived is expected to further aggravate the situation.

A team led by Senior Public Health Administrator Jeevan Kumar Malla, Medical Superintendent Dr Rasila Amatya and UNFPA senior gynecologist Dr Bimal Dhakal is providing the services under the leadership of the District Health Office (DHO).

 Malla hailed UNFPA for providing the support to DHO to establish and start CEOC services at this crucial time. “Thanks to this collaboration, the team has already performed two Cesarean sections, while preparations to operate on other cases are going on,” he said.

“UNFPA’s role to re-establish this vital service and to train local health service providers can save the lives of many earthquake-affected pregnant women who may need cesarean sections,” said Dr. Dhakal.

 To ensure continuity of the services at the District Hospital, Dr Dhakal has been mentoring and coaching local doctors and nurses in the hospital. UNFPA has also provided instruments, equipment, drugs and supplies for Cesarean section and blood transfusion to the hospital to provide services to 150,000 affected people for three months.