One Health Approach in Nepal

Abstract

One health is a collaborative, trans-sectional and multidisciplinary approach that interlinks holistic efforts to reduce health threats at the human-animal-ecosystem interfaceIt also emphasizes the importance of community engagement, education, and capacity building to promote sustainable health practices and reduce health disparities. Human medicine and veterinary medicine have been studied together with eco-health as a collective one health concept. Emerging, re-emerging, and endemic zoonosis, neglected tropical diseases, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and security, environmental contamination and climate change are the issues thatcan be addressed with One Health. One Health also has great economic utilities. Concept of One Health is still in its infancy in Nepal but is growing gradually. One health (OH) approach has become limited to few funded projects only.Poor organizational structure to support One Health, absence of adequate legal framework to implement One Health, inadequate co-ordination among different governmental agencies, insufficient technical expertise, substandarddata sharing mechanism across sectors, limited budget allocation and poor understanding at political level are the major challenges in effective execution of one health approach in Nepal. It is the need of time that all concerned stakeholders and sectors in Nepal show strong commitment to execute this holistic approach.It can lay a foundation to meet targets of sustainable development goals too.