Health needs in two ethnic communities of Humla District, Nepal

This report summarises findings from primary health care baseline study conducted in September and October of 1999, in upper Humla district, Nepal. This study establishes measure of health conditions in Humla, and constitutes a baseline against which progress in improving the health services and conditions for local people can be measured. This report is an integral piece of the process of primary health care development in Humla, a remote region with scant record of health statistics at the village level. In addition to the Ministry of Health and its staff and partners, a number of NGOs are working in the health sector in the district, including the ISIS Foundation, Unitarian Services Committee Canada, Nepal, The Nepal Trust, and Appropriate Technology Asia. Public health projects focused on such technologies as safe drinking water systems, latrines and smokeless stoves, are underway, as well as projects focused on primary health care services themselves. This and subsequent papers will record, measure and publish data to help assess the progress that has been made in improving health conditions in this area.