Postnatal Care in Nepal

In recent years, Nepal has implemented a variety of programs to improve access to and quality of PNC in the country. While these programs have been implemented by a variety of agencies, most have been run in partnership with the Government of Nepal and have relied heavily on Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) and other cadres of community health workers.

1. The Community-Based Neonatal Care Package, for example, aimed to change health-related behaviors in the community and also provide three home visits in the week after delivery for mothers and newborns alike.
2. The Nepal Family Health Programme II worked to increase access to family planning as well as basic health services, including postpartum care.
3. The Birth Preparedness Package encouraged women and families to plan for their pregnancies as well as the postnatal period, including how to deal with emergency situations.

These programs have been quite successful in increasing uptake of PNC among women in their target areas. As many postnatal programs have been scaled up to a national level, crucial facilitators of success have been thorough, high-quality care guidelines; community buy-in; and an adequate number of appropriately-trained personnel.