“मेरो बर्ष २०७४: म स्वस्थ, मेरो देश स्वस्थ”

Healthy Year 2074: A New Start in Nepal's Health System

This is a promising start from health minister Mr. Gagan Thapa in Nepalese Public health sector. It triggered many of us; It impressed many forerunners in health profession. Indeed, we need something, be it some goals, deadlines or slogans to keep us moving. Let’s remember, we are so much driven by millennium development goals and sustainable development goals to meet their targets. So, this new campaign of “My Year 2074: I am Healthy, My country is healthy” (this is my unofficial translation of the slogan) will surely motivate us to remain committed for keeping ourselves and our people healthy.

Our health system was quite sensitive towards tobacco related products but the alcohol drinking was overlooked issue and this commitment is expected to aware people of harmful effects of alcohol resulting reduced consumption. Our country is being rapidly urbanized and many of us live sedentary lives in a chair so the slogan of remaining physically active will surely benefits many of us, who are living sedentary lives.

Another slogan refers to appropriate and right consumption of locally available healthy and balanced diet. As we say, ‘We are what we eat’, this will encourage us in supplementing the diet required for growth and development and regeneration of people in every age group. Regular health checkup screens diseases in its early phases making primordial, and primary prevention enough. This further reduces cost of individual and the health system. The fifth slogan tries to accommodate all the health issues related to family planning, child bearing and rearing, neonates, infants and children and old age people.

Some addition in set of commitments

If we critically see the slogans of this campaign, it is much oriented towards preventing the non-communicable diseases. It has proactively attempted to capture the transition of our communicable disease burden to non-communicable diseases. But, we still have pre-existing conditions that trigger the transmission of communicable diseases such as lack of improved sanitation and safe drinking water. This bothers us many of public health professionals including me, much than remaining physically active. Though, we have come in the 21st century, only the time passed, we are still far behind.
In some parts of the country, people live the lifestyle of early twentieth century and some live like in 21st century. Because of this vast differences in life styles, living standards, awareness level, I seriously want to include the components of waste management, personal hygiene, sanitation facilities, clean city and improved housing, improved drinking water in this slogan. Let’s quit the use of tobacco product and alcohol drinking; Let’s remain physically active; Let’s have healthy and balanced diet; Let’s perform regular health check up; Let’s spread awareness on Family and community health issues.

“My commitment to My Year 2074”

I will Commit to following points in Year 2074 and onwards..

I will quit the use of tobacco product and alcohol drinking.

I will remain physically active.

I will have healthy and balanced diet.

I will perform regular health check up.

I will remain aware of Family and community health.

Yes,

I will keep personal hygiene.

I will keep my house and city clean.

I will have improved sanitation and safe drinking water.