KATHMANDU, AUGUST 11
A five-day capacity-strengthening workshop bringing together 30 federal and provincial health officials for practical training in health economics and its role in shaping health policy began today in Dhulikhel.
The workshop, as part of a fellowship on "Health Economics for Policy" which is the country's first of its kind, is designed to give decision-makers the skills to use economic evidence in health planning, and decision making.
The nine-month fellowship program addresses a major gap in formal training on health economics with participants gaining hands-on experience in cost analysis, economic evaluation, health financing, and strategic priority setting, aimed at helping the country progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In Nepal, aligning health sector priorities with available resources has never been more important, especially as the country faces tough choices about which services to cover, how to maintain quality, and how to protect vulnerable groups from high health costs.
The program is organized by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) with Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS) at the University of Bergen (UiB) providing the technical lead alongside a local academia at Kathmandu University and additional partnership with Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA), and World Health Organization (WHO). This program is a part of a NORAD-funded project on priority setting for UHC in Nepal, a collaborative effort between MoHP and UiB.
Speaking at the workshop, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Prof. Dr. Shiva Raj Adhikari, said health economics is vital for national planning. He encouraged participants to give feedback that could improve national strategies, saying, "Policy should connect every house, village, and institution."
Additional Secretary of the MoHP, Dr. Keshar Dhakal, said the ministry is committed to the constitutional right to health and the Sustainable Development Goals. "Our health system needs strong capacity in cost analysis, cost-effectiveness evaluation, and integrated data management," he said. "Climate change is a threat, and our policies must ensure a healthy environment and proper management of health resources. This course will strengthen officials at both federal and provincial levels."
By building these skills, the program supports the government's National Health Financing Strategy 2023-2033, especially its goal of making health investments accountable, transparent, and driven by evidence.
BCEPS Senior Researcher Dr. Krishna Aryal called the fellowship an important step for evidence-based policy and capacity strengthening. "NORAD, our donor, is happy to see the MoHP leading this course design. It can serve as a model for other countries."
Dr. Biraj Man Karmacharya of Kathmandu University said there is often a gap between academia and government. "This course will help bridge that gap," he said.
WHO Nepal's Dr. Gampo Dorji described it as "a practical course beyond classroom learning" with direct use in decision-making. In his presentation, Achyut Raj Pandey of BCEPS said that one effective way UiB has found to institutionalize priority setting for UHC in Nepal is to strengthen health economics capacity. This approach, according to him, includes four parts: a fellowship for government officials, an academic course, faculty training, and online courses and webinars.
The MoHP's Policy, Planning and Monitoring Division is leading the initiative in selecting participants, coordinating partner inputs, and ensuring that final outputs are used in policymaking.
An earlier inception workshop as part of the fellowship identified gaps in policymakers' skills, helping shape the current curriculum. The sessions during the five days will cover the basics of health economics, the importance of demand and supply in healthcare markets, costing methods for health interventions, and economic evaluation in healthcare.
