General Health Screening

How did this come to our attention?

Ageing is a global public health concern. With the increase in elderly population, the number of old age homes is also increasing in Nepal. However, a study conducted in old age homes of Kathmandu showed that the quality of the elderly home with respect to the facilities they provide are poor. Many of them were deprived of proper care, support and basic need for comfortable survival.

 

Very few studies have been carried out related to the health status of elderly living in an old age home. Access to timely and quality medical care is very crucial for people living in old age homes as age brings in more health risks. However, due to poor financial conditions of elderly homes, lack of timely flow of funds, lack of resources, providing good medical care to them is still a challenge for old-age homes.

 

Healthy ageing is the target of Nepal being the signatory to Madrid Convention in 2002. The ability of an elderly to stay healthy and independent is directly proportional to the provision of the supportive environment that includes well-designed living conditions, access to economic sources and an appropriate health care system. To improve the health status of elderly populations living in old age homes, Aaviyanta foundation aims to conduct health camps at least once every two months in order to follow up the situations and build a sustainable and integrated healthcare system to improve health status of elderly populations living in old-age homes.

A Health Screening program is a kind of health service, usually consultation; provided by a doctor, an organisation or hospital away from their primary location. It is one of the frequently used methods of reaching the unreached in the developing world, where people get health consultation along with the distribution of drugs at local level.

The ability of an elderly to stay healthy and independent is directly proportional to the provision of the supportive environment that includes well-designed living conditions, access to economic sources and an appropriate health care system.

Health programs are conducted in different places like rural, urban, remote, focused communities, schools, colleges, universities, prisons, old age homes, orphanages etc. It is sometimes specific for e.g. non-communicable and chronic diseases like; Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus and other debilitating disease like Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Psychiatric illnesses, malnutrition, Rheumatic Heart Diseases and, many a times health programs are non-specific. Health programs are usually organised by hospitals, non-government organisations (NGO), international non-governmental organisations (INGO), societies, associations, clubs, pharmaceutical companies, individuals or any other sector of the community.

Likewise, Aaviyanta foundation is a registered Non-Governmental Organization that is committed to reducing disparity in the health and education sectors in Nepal. We are focused on taking a bottom up approach by reaching out to and working directly with underprivileged and underrepresented communities, bringing people together for a cause and creating sustainable mechanisms to achieve societal balance. To achieve our goals we have been conducting free medical health programs at Manav Seva and old age homes of Kathmandu valley.