Department of Health Services

The overall purpose of the Department of Health Services (DoHS) is to deliver preventive, promotive and curative health services throughout nepal. The DoHS is one of three departments under Ministry of Health (MoH). According to the institutional framework of the DoHS and MoH, the health post (from an institutional perspective) is the first contact point for basic health services. However, in reality, the HP is the referral centre of the volunteer cadres of TBAs and FCHVs as well as a venue for community-based activities such as PHC outreach clinics and EPI clinics. Each level above the HP is a referral point in a network from HP to PHCC, on to district zonal and regional hospitals, and finally to specialty tertiary care centres in Kathmandu. This referral hierarchy has been designed to ensure that the majority of population receive public health and minor treatment in places accessible to them and at a price they can afford. Inversely, the system works as a supporting mechanism for lower levels by providing logistical, financial, supervisory, and technical support from the centre to the periphery.