KATHMANDU

The Nepal Chapter of the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health (Nepal CIH) was launched in Kathmandu on Friday with experts calling for evidence-based, equitable, and cost-effective health interventions to achieve universal health coverage through strategic health financing reforms.

The chapter was launched in the presence of Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel where he confirmed he will chair Nepal CIH's high-level Policy Advisory Group. Nepal CIH is a loose network of academicians and policymakers working together to generate evidence and inform smarter policies. It will have a National Commission of commissioners from academia and policy, and a Policy Advisory Group including senior policymakers, politicians, and key health system actors.

Addressing the event, Minister Paudel said, 'There is a need for a forum to discuss health sector issues at the policy level. Even if this chapter is just a loose network, it can still play an important role.' 'The constitution promises free basic health care and affordable specialized services, but if the state avoids this responsibility, it only creates deep frustration,' he added.

One highlight was a presentation by Prof. Shiva Adhikari, Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission and Chair of Nepal CIH, on 'Spending Wisely, Protecting Strongly: Redesigning Health Financing Architecture for Nepal.' He noted Nepal's financing challenges-low public health spending, high out-of-pocket payments, fragmented insurance schemes, and resource inefficiencies-and stressed the need to mobilize domestic resources, pool funds, and strengthen financial protection.

In a video message, Prof. Ole Frithjof Norheim of Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and a Lancet CIH Commissioner said, 'Halving premature deaths by 2050 is possible for Nepal.' Dr. David Watkins of the University of Washington, also another Lancet CIH Commissioner, added, 'Smart prioritization works even when budgets are tight. Nepal can make steady gains now.'

Dr. Krishna Aryal, Senior Researcher at the University of Bergen and Coordinator of Nepal CIH, emphasized that health spending must deliver equity and efficiency: 'Our aim is to support Nepal's policy direction toward a balanced path in improving health status while protecting families from financial catastrophe.'

A panel discussion on 'Nepal's health financing schemes: where is the fragmentation leading us?' offered timely reflections. Dr. Krishna Poudel, MoHP, said, 'Our investment has been insufficient, and even what we have is not being spent effectively. Programs like health insurance are transformative in design but wounded in practice.'

Dr. Deepak Karki, Health Advisor at the British Embassy Kathmandu, stressed efficiency over fragmentation: 'Fiscal space for health is an investment with high returns. Money saved is money earned, and Nepal must use evidence wisely to make every rupee count.'

Similarly, Anna Koziel from World Bank Nepal underlined, 'Health is not just a cost but an investment. Investing in healthier societies drives economic growth, and Nepal must see health financing as central to its development.'

Closing the event, MoHP Secretary Dr. Bikash Devkota said, 'Health is not just the responsibility of the ministry. It requires academia, researchers, the private sector, and every government body working together to build an evidence-based system.' He also said he was pleased that the Nepal Chapter of the Lancet Commission has been launched.

The event, attended by more than 80 policymakers and academicians, was organized by the Nepal CIH in coordination with the Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA) with support from BCEPS and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). In the coming days, Nepal CIH is planning to work around analyzing health financing gaps, out-of-pocket spending, and efficiency of resource use to guide smarter health investments. The chapter's secretariat is hosted at NHEA.